Once Upon A December
by Iphigenie
Summary: What if Hatori had never fallen in love with Kana? What if he had met someone else instead? A girl named Hikari Aino ... Hatori/OC, more chapters will follow. Reviews would be great! Finally finished, enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

I never believed in love at first sight. Not before I met him … Him, who is my life, my love, my everything … My name is Hikari Aino and this my story … A story about a family … a story about a curse … a story about love.

…

It all begin during the winter I had started to work in a bookstore. It was the greatest job, I've ever had! I had loved books since I was a little girl and now, to be surrounded by books every day and talk about them to customers, was like heaven for me.

"The only thing that could be better, would be writing something myself and getting it published", as I said to my parents. Of course, they had a slightly different view on my future plans.

"When will you finally decide to find yourself a nice and decent man to marry?", my mother kept asking me, day after day. "You're not getting any younger, you know", my father liked to add. To emphasis her point, mom then would sniff dramatically and say: "I won't live forever, after all … I want to have grandchildren one day." "Grandsons!", my father chimed in at this point.

My reaction to this, was to pat my mother soothingly on her shoulder and say: "I'm only twenty-two, mom. If I start a family with thirty, you will still live to see your grandchild, I promise!"

I was happy with my life as it was. I really didn't think about chosing a potential husband. Independence was my motto! But, as they say, good things come when you least expect them … Especially when one of this things is called Hatori Soma …


	2. Chapter 2

"You truly are a strange person." My best friend Mitsuru was looking at me, half smiling, half raising her eyes skeptically. "You must be the only living person who likes snow", she noted. I laughed, as I started to dance under the snowflakes. "Be careful or you'll slip, Kari-chan!", Mitsuru warned me. "The way is completely icy."

I turned to her, rolling my eyes. "I know Mit-chan, but it is fun", I told her and grinned. "You should try that too", I mocked her. "It would distract you from your troubles with this writer you always tell me about … What was his name …?"

Mitsuru's face went bright red. "Shigure Soma", she answered with a high-pitched voice and a terrified glow in her eyes. "He's horrible!", she squeaked. "He tortures me, just because he is bored or he thinks it's fun! Shigure purposely never finishes his manuscripts on time, or at least he tells me he hasn't finished them, and when he has to hand them in, he just leaves the city and disappears!" She sniffed desperately. "Believe me, Shigure Soma is pure evil!"

"But you are his editor!", I reminded her, half laughing, half being serious. "Why don't you just tell him to behave decently or to find himself a new editor?" "I can't", Mitsuru sighed. "But he mustn't torment you like this!", I argued, concerned for my best friend. "This is not healthy! And he isn't even your boyfriend!" "I know", Mitsuru answered. She shook her head. "And to think I found he was cute …", she mumbled.

"This is what I like about books", I thought to myself. "They never hurt or disappoint you …"

"Anyway", Mitsuru finally said. "I have to go now." She rolled her eyes. "Work." Her lunch break was always earlier than mine so that we could only meet for fifteen minutes in the park near the bookstore. Usually, Mitsuru just complained about Shigure Sohma before she had to go again. "Well then", I said, as I began to dance again under the snowflakes. "See you tomorrow!" Mitsuru giggled, as she watched me. "You should really try to act like a grown-up", she told me seriously. "But that wouldn't be fun!", I joked. Mitsuru had a look on her face that clearly said she thought I was nuts.

"Be careful that you don't catch a cold", she cautioned me. "I will", I answered as I closed my eyes, enjoying the feeling of the snowflakes on my skin. Okay, maybe I was a

bit crazy … Anyway.

Mitsuru left again (not without taking a deep breath, because she might have to face Shigure Soma again), I continued dancing. Only very few people came here at this time of day so that I didn't feel as if I would embarrass myself. I had no idea, someone was watching me, until I heard a soft voice. "Ahem."

I immediately turned around. And then I saw him … A young man, probably in his mid-twenties, was standing in front of me. Somehow, I had the strange feeling that he had been standing there for quite some time. Maybe because he was looking so surprised. And, because he was looking at me.

"Oh." I had stopped dancing by now. "I am sorry." I laughed nervously. The man was still staring at me, not saying a word. I could imagine, that he was trying to figure out if I was mental and he should call the police, or if I was just a strange, little girl.

"It is snowing", I tried to explain, knowing perfectly well how stupid I must be sounding to him. "I just wanted to …" "To dance?", the man finished my sentence. "Yes.", I replied, suddenly self-conscious, now that he had spoken to me. "In the snow", he added, in a tone that said, that no one in their right mind would do such a thing. "Well, as a matter of fact …" The man raised an eyebrow. "It is cold", he said, as if he would explain to a six-year old that one and one makes two. "And wet."

I shook my head, now smiling. "You shouldn't think of snow like that", I replied softly. "When it snows, the whole world becomes a magical place. Everything is so quiet and peaceful. It is like in a dream …" I let some snowflakes fall onto my hand. "Anything is possible …"

I looked up and for the first time, I could see directly into his eyes. They were beautiful … a piercing blue like I had never seen it before … Eyes that seem to knew everything …

He was smiling too. "I never thought of it that way …", he said, his voice far away, as if he was lost in thoughts. We both looked at the snow, falling down, in silence.

Finally, I worked up the courage, to introduce myself: "My name is Hikari Aino", I said and bowed politely. "It is a pleasure to meet you."

The man, who had been quiet until now, pulled himself together. I don't know why, but for some strange reason, he reminded me of someone who had just awakened from a dream. "Hello", he replied friendly and tilted his head. "I am Hatori Soma. It is … (he seemed to search for the right word) … interesting to meet you." Was that a compliment, or -?

I laughed. "If this makes you feel better, normally I do not dance around in parks." A small grin appeared on Hatori's handsome face. "Then it's okay."

An awkward silence followed his words, none of us knowing what to say. Shily, I looked more closely at Hatori. He was tall and slim, with black hair and beautiful hands with long and slender fingers. He wore a black coat, black trousers, a white shirt and a black tie. I knew instantly, that Hatori was the most handsome man I had ever met. Especially those eyes …

But one thing was strange: Hatori seemed sad. I could see it in his eyes. He was beautiful, but he didn't look happy. As if he would be in pain, like an animal that had lived in a cage for too long. He barely smiled and even when he did, the smile vanished as quickly as it had come. Like a dim ray of sunlight on a rainy and cold autumn day …

Hatori cleared his throat, bringing me back to reality. "I, I should go now", he said shily. "Okay." I nodded, being once more at a loss for words.

"Bye then." I wanted to shake his hand and went forward, as exactly the thing happened, that Mitsuru had warned me about: I slipped and twisted my ankle. "Ouch!" I nearly fell down, had not Hatori grabbed me at my hand in time to catch me. "Watch out!", he said anxiously, holding me tightly. "Is everything alright?" "I think so." I tried not to think about how close we were, so that I wouldn't blush too hard. Our faces nearly touched … I had never been so close to someone …

As he realised I wasn't going to break down, Hatori slowly let go of me again. "Thank you", I managed to say, my voice shaking. "It's okay." I reached out for my purse, which had fallen on the ground. "As you can see, I am really good at making a fool out of myself", I tried to joke. "I am deeply sorry, really." Hatori chuckled. A nice, happy sound … It gave me the bad feeling that he didn't laugh very often.

"Don't worry", he said. He leaned forward to help me get my purse. And then, all out of a sudden, completely unintentionally, our hands touched … My heart did a somersault. Hatori's finger trembled shortly. We both held my bag, not moving, not daring to look at each other. Something was happening … Just a few seconds, one touch … It made all the difference …

The noise of a book, falling on the ground pulled Hatori and me back into reality. He immediately let go of my purse, as if he would have done something he wasn't supposed to do. "Wait." He took my book. "Here." He gave it to me, as his eyes fell on the title.

"The Tiger and the story of the Chinese zodiacs?", he read, surprised. "Yes", I nodded, regaining my composure again. "A friend of mine gave it to me as a birthday present", I told him. Hatori seemed interested. "She gave you a book about the Chinese zodiacs for your birthday?", he asked, but not in a derisive sort of way. He really wanted to know more.

"I like the Chinese zodiacs and their story, since my mother has told me about them when I was a little child", I explained. "And you are a tiger", Hatori realised and smiled shortly. "That is why the title mentions it." I had to laugh. "Yes." He looked down to my purse. "Luckily, you are not a typical tiger", I heard him murmur. "What?", I asked. "Nothing", Hatori replied quickly. Obviously that was something I wasn't supposed to have heard.

Hatori got up again. "I should really go now." He stayed for a moment to say good-bye. "It was nice meeting you, Aino-san", he said friendly. "Yes, you too", I replied, hoping my voice wasn't too high and squeaky. It used to get like that, when I was nervous.

Then I wanted to stand up, when it happened: I felt a sharp pain in my left ankle. "Ouch!" I let out a small scream. Hatori immediately gently grabbed my arm. "Are you alright?", he asked, sounding worried. "I think I twisted my ankle", I answered, trying to be brave. "Let me look …" Hatori put his right hand to my injured foot. I clenched my teeth.

"That doesn't look good …", he said slowly. "You should come to my practice." "What?", I asked, taken aback. Hatori looked up. "I am a doctor", he explained, as he noticed my surprised face. "Oh."

I didn't know what to say to that. If he would have been someone else than Hatori Soma, I might have thought he was only trying to flirt with me. But he was serious. I had just met him and yet, Hatori felt so familiar, like I would have known him for ages. On the other side of course … Would it be really prudent to go with him now?

"I'll be fine", I answered evasively. "Are you sure?", Hatori asked, not convinced. I nodded. "Thank you for your help", I replied politely. But Hatori wasn't easy to be fooled. "You are in pain", he said urgently. "You should have a doctor take a look at your ankle. My practice is right around the corner."

I hesitated for a moment. "It's not that", I tried to explain and laughed self-consciously. "It is a bit embarrassing really." Hatori raised an eyebrow. "I am terribly scared of doctors and medical practices", I confessed. "When I was a little child I was often sick and spent much time at the hospital and I think I have a trauma from that. Everytime I have to go to the dentist for example, I nearly faint." "That sounds awful.", Hatori replied, sympathetically. "It is", I assured him.

I paused. This was the very first time that I had told anyone except my parents about my fear of hospitals. But Hatori understood. "I promise you, it won't hurt", he said as he helped me get up. "And I won't use any needles, if that comforts you." I had to laugh. "No needles sound good", I replied.

And so I went with Hatori Soma … I had no idea that I just did something, that would soon change my entire life … When I look back know, I can say that my first encounter with Hatori Soma happened really quickly and completely by pure chance … In general it wouldn't even have been worth mentioning … It just happened … And it soon would turn my whole world upside down …


	3. Chapter 3

Hatori let me lean on his shoulders as he led me to his practice. He didn't say a word about it, but I noticed something strange, in the way he was supporting me. Hatori was holding me with one hand and yet, he seemed to try to keep me as distant as possible. As if he would have been afraid, I might touch him … Or at least it felt like that to me.

On the other hand, he also didn't really know me. Maybe he still had the picture of me, dancing in the snow in his mind. We both were silent, as he guided me.

"We are nearly there", Hatori suddenly said, pulling me out of my thoughts. I looked up. "Wow!", I said, impressed. We were standing in front of a huge block of buildings, with dozens of houses and neatly cutted lawns that were surrounded by cherry trees and wells. The whole complex was surrounded by a huge wall, which made it look like an own little city right in the middle of Tokyo.

"Who lives here?", I was wondering aloud. "They must be really rich to afford this …" "This belongs to my family", Hatori promptly answered, slightly grinning. "And yes, we do have money, but not as much, as everybody thinks." I blushed ashamedly.

Finally we reached a little house. "We are here", Hatori told me, as he opened the door. Curiously, I stepped in.

It looked like the typical practice of a doctor. White walls, a desk, an examination couch, charts and dressing material. Hatori helped me to set down on a chair. Then he went to close the door. I noticed how he looked out on the street. As if he wanted to make sure that nobody had followed us. "Is everything alright?", I asked, slightly puzzled. Hatori turned back to me. "Yes, of course", he answered, more to himself. "Now, I will have a look at your ankle."

It was a bit uncomfortable, as Hatori examined my foot and I could feel his cold fingers on my skin. My heart was beating so hard, that I was almost sure he could hear it. "I can only repeat how sorry I am, for causing you all this trouble, Soma-san", I said shily. Hatori, who had avoided my eyes until now, finally looked up. For the first time since we met, I could see a real smile on his face, bright and shining like a sunrise. It made him even more beautiful than he already was …

"You don't have to apologise, Aino-san", he told me, pronouncing my name in this lovely way, that only he had ... Hatori went to get dressing material for my ankle. "It is nice to meet someone you can talk to", he said softly. I could only see his back, but his voice sounded sad at this words. I smiled. "Yes, I think so too."

Hatori remained at his desk for a moment, before he came back to me. I watched, as he mended my hurt ankle. "You can call me Kari", I told him, having become more brave by his last comment. "Everyone does that, actually." Hatori stopped shortly. "Of course, only if you like to", I added quickly, not wanting to be too blunt. "Kari …" Hatori repeated, his voice far away. "Yes", I nodded, a strange tingle in my stomach as he said my name. "I like that", Hatori replied, now sounding normal again.

I wanted to say something, as suddenly the door of the practice opened and a young man, approximately of Hatori's age, stepped in. He was dressed in a Kimono and had black hair, that slightly fell on his shoulders and dark eyes.

"Hello and good day, everyone", he said cheerfully, as he came towards us. "Am I interrupting something?" He was grinning, as he looked at Hatori and me, Hatori kneeling in front of me. He just rolled his eyes. "Yes, Shigure, actually, you are. I am working, as you might have noticed." He pointed to my ankle. Shigure's eyes scanned my looks. His grin broadened. "Well, Hari, if you call this work, then I want to become a doctor too!", he said, a mischievous look on his face. I blushed.

"Don't listen to him", Hatori told me, throwing a threatening glance at his friend. "Shigure was dropped on his head when he was a little child and as a result he tends to talk nothing but nonsense." Shigure placed a hand on his heart. "Oh, you hurt me!", he said, pretending to be insulted. He turned back to me. "So, and you are?", he asked, his eyes fixed on me. I smiled back, sarcastically. "I am not interested", I replied. "She's not your type, Shigure", Hatori added to my surprise. "Why?", Shigure wanted to know and chuckled. "I don't mind that she's smaller than me." "No", Hatori answered, his voice sounding cynical. "She has a brain." I went bright red.

Shigure stuck out his tongue at him. "Very funny, really!" He reached out his hand. "I am Shigure Soma", he introuced himself. I listened up. Now, this was something I had not expected!

"Shigure Soma?", I asked, taken aback. "The writer?" Shigure started to smile, as I heard Hatori sigh in the background. "A fan!", Shigure said happily, clapping his hands together. I had to grin. "Not exactly." I looked at him, half angrily, half amused. "You are the obnoxious writer who pushes my best friend to threaten suicide at least once a week." Hatori chuckled, Shigure however didn't seem to be bothered by my comment. "You know Mitsuru", he grinned and giggled, seeming quite pleased with himself.

"We are friends", I confirmed. "We met in the bookstore, I work in", I told them.

"You like books." Hatori looked at me. I smiled. "Yes", I answered. "Very much." Our eyes met and for a few seconds, the world seemed to stand still … There was just Hatori and me …

"Well", Shigure (whom I had completely forgotten), chimed in, "Then you and Hari have something in common." He put an arm around his friend. "You should know that Tori-kun here, is a bookworm himself."

Hatori looked at him, apparently annoyed. "Do you have nothing better to do, Shigure?", he asked. His friend grinned, already used to this kind of comments from Hatori. "Alright I'm going", he said. "I don't want to disturb you two lovey –doveys after all." He giggled and made kissing sounds. "Go!", Hatori yelled at him, irritated at his friend's behaviour. Still laughing, Shigure left the practice.

"I apologise", Hatori said, as he turned back to me. "Sometimes it is really hard to believe, that we are the same age." "It's okay", I assured him. "I thought he was funny … In a pervert kind of way", I added. "Well, if you put it that way …"

Silence fell between us again. "I probably should go now", I realised, as I looked at the clock above the desk. "Otherwise I'll be late for work." Hatori nodded. "Of course", he said. He got up. "I'll walk you out."

Together, we walked to front gate. I was desperately trying to think of something to say. I didn't want to go. I wanted to stay, here, with Hatori. I hated to leave now, without knowing if I would ever see him again. I wanted to know more about this fascinating man who had just stepped into my life … Who was he and why did his eyes look so sad?

Or how many of his family members lived here? I looked around, impressed by the number of houses I saw. When, all out of a sudden, I got the strange feeling that somebody was watching me.

I turned my head and it was then, that I noticed the person, looking out of a window of one of the houses. A young man, who was staring at me. He had dark eyes and black hair and skin, as pale as freshly fallen snow. Or was it really a man? Or a young woman? It was difficult to say ... But something about him … I shuddered. "Is everything alright?", Hatori asked me. "Yes", I nodded. "Yes …" When I looked back again, the person was gone.

Finally, we reached the gate. "I haven't even asked you, how much I owe you for treating my ankle", I remembered, as I faced Hatori to say good-bye. He shook his head, smiling. "It was nothing", he said. "But –", I began, as he interrupted me again. "Just promise to keep better care next time you dance in the snow." I stopped. Hatori was looking at me, friendly, no sarcasm in his handsome face. He was serious … I smiled. "I will."

I swallowed, trying to find the right words. "Bye, Hatori", I just said. What else was there to tell him? He was silent for a moment, and for a second I had the impression that he wanted me to stay too. I wished he would ask me to see him again …

But the moment passed. "Bye, Kari", Hatori said. And so we parted. I could see him, watching me leave …

I returned to the bookstore and back to work. I received a dressing-down by Mr. Shiraki, the storeowner, because I was late, I put the books by Haruki Murakami into the wrong shelf, I forgot about the customers ... But today, I didn't care about any of this. Something had happened … Or better said, someone, called Hatori Soma.

In books, you can read those stories about love at first sight. I always wanted to believe them, but all these years, I had never experienced anything like it myself. Until now …

I fell in love with Hatori the minute I first saw him. I knew it then. I know it now. And this love would not go away that easily…

Even if it looked like I would never see Hatori again. At least at the moment. Hatori had disappeared as quickly, as he had come … I didn't even knew if he liked me, or if he still thought, I was nuts. He hadn't said a word about wanting to meet me again. And I didn't have the courage to ask him …

So, hours later, I was sitting at home on my couch, trying to think of a way that would bring Hatori back in my life. What was I to do? Maybe I had really gotten crazy … Never would I have imagined that I could feel this way …

There was just one thing that could cure this kind of lovesickness: Chocolate! Being desperate, I went to the drawer to search for it. When suddenly an idea, a stream of hope, entered my mind. "I can't do this!", I thought, only more agitated then I had been before. "Or can I?" What was there to lose? And so, I decided to listen to my heart. Even if it ment I was crazy … But love, after all, never is rational …


	4. Chapter 4

It was already afternoon, when Hatori finally had five minutes just to himself. He had been busy, treating Akito. Around this time of year he always got sick because of the cold. Not that Hatori wasn't thankful, for having to work hard. Especially not today … It didn't give him time to think. Like about this strange but cute girl he had met yesterday …

"Stop it!", Hatori shook his head, as if to drive the unwelcome thoughts away. "Forget her!" Forgetting … this single word seemed to mark his whole life. But what, if this once he did not want to forget? He could still remember Kari's beautiful smile. Shy and barely visible, but beautiful …

"Hari!" The cheerful voice of Momiji Soma pulled him out of his thoughts. "What is it?" Hatori looked to the door, as Momiji entered the practice. He was grinning and giggling like a little schoolboy. "The postman just brought the mail", he told Hatori and reached into his pockets. "This was sent to you." Before Hatori had time to wonder what it might be, Momiji pulled out a small box of what appeared to be chocolate.

"What …?!" Staring wide-eyed at the box of chocolates, Hatori watched as Momiji put it on the desk. "And it just came with the mail?", he asked, taking the box into his hands, as if to make sure it really was here. "Yes", Momiji nodded. "And this note was attached to it:" He gave Hatori a small letter, where he could read, in nice and clear handwriting:

"Dear Hatori – san

I do hope that I am not too blunt by sending you chocolate. Yesterday, you didn't let me pay for treating my twisted ankle and I really wanted to say thank you for everything you did. So, here I am: Thank you, Hatori-san. You were very kind to me. And I know already now, that I will certainly think of you, next time I see snow (or a medical practice …).

Take care

Kari Aino

PS: These chocolates are my personal favorites so I do hope you'll like them."

Hatori had to smile, as he looked at the note. Kari …

"Let me see", Momiji said curiously, bringing him back to reality. "It is a loveletter, isn't it?" Hatori took the letter out of his reach. "You should not read other people's letters", he said, but you could hear that he wasn't really angry with Momiji but rather amused. "And how would you know that it was a loveletter?" Momiji giggled. "Well, whoever sent you this chocolate, she must really like you", he noted. "After all, sweets are symbols of love." Hatori chuckled. "Aren't you too young to know all this?" "No!", Momiji replied promptly. "You are never too young for love!", he said, sounding strong and firm. Hatori sighed. "Let me guess … Shigure told you this?" "No", came the answer. "It was Aya, actually." "Of course …"

Hatori still held the note in his hands. The last time, he had gotten loveletters and chocolate, he had been at school ... When the girls started to realise, that he was not interested in sweets or love confessions, the boxes of cocolates and the loveletters disappeared. Until now … This was different.

Of course, this also wasn't exactly a loveletter. "What are you going to do?", Momiji wanted to know. "Will you see her again?" Hatori put the box back on the desk. "I don't know", he answered and sighed. "But you want to", Momiji knew. "This is not about what I want", Hatori replied. "It is … complicated, you know that." Momiji had listened silently. "Well, I just know one thing", he finally said, smiling. "If I would meet a nice girl that I really like and who obviously likes me back, I would try to spend as much time with her as possible." Hatori looked at the box of chocolates and the note where he could still see Kari's handwriting. See her again …

He only noticed that Momiji was leaving, when the boy had already reached the door. "Momiji?" He paused. "Yes?" Although Momiji could already imagine, what Hatori wanted to ask him … "You are not going to tell anyone about this, are you?" He shook his head. "No", Momiji promised. "Good …"


	5. Chapter 5

"This is really not my best day!", I was thinking. I had been late to work because I had to go to the post office. Mrs. Shiraki had just asked me if I wasn't feeling well because I seemed so absent-minded. Everyone of my colleagues kept pestering me, why I had a bandage around my ankle. To make matters worse, my mother had made her daily call, to ask me, when she finally would get her son-in-law. I didn't mention that I had just met a handsome young doctor called Hatori Soma, whom I had sent chocolate this morning, including a note. "I really shouldn't have written the note in the middle of the night, when I was tired", I thought. It had taken this long for me to work up the courage to write to Hatori.

"Maybe he just put it away", I assumed. Hatori didn't look like the kind of guy, who likes chocolate. Or I thought so. Sadly, he was still a mystery to me. For what I knew, Hatori could be gay. Or worse, married with children! Maybe I had just embarrassed myself into the next millennia … "Well, at least I tried", I thought, cheering myself up.

Slowly, I started to get used to the idea to get over Hatori Soma. There was not much to get over to begin with. We just met! But, if I wanted to have my life back and keep my job, I should better forget him. Even if Hatori was the type of man, that you only meet once in your life …

I noticed a group of my colleagues standing in a corner and whispering. Curious and trying to get my mind off of Hatori, I joined them. "What's the matter?", I wanted to know. A girl giggled. "The man at the entrance", she said. The woman beside her sighed. "Isn't he gorgeous?" "Where do you find man like this?" I heard another one say. Wanting to see that terrific guy, I turned my head in their direction. And felt my heart skip a beat.

The man was Hatori. I couldn't believe my eyes. Was this possible? Could this really be? "Oh my …" I just stammered. It was him … Hatori …

"Okay", I finally mananged to organise my thoughts. "Get a grip!" While my other female colleagues were still whispering and giggling, I took a deep breath and went forward. To Hatori.

Was that a smile I saw, when he noticed me? "Hello, Hatori-san!", I said friendly, trying not to sound too fangirly. "What a pleasant surprise!" Hatori nodded. "I wanted to go out for a breath of fresh air and thought I'd stop by", he told me. Was this my imagination or did he seem just as nervous as I was? "Well, it is nice to see you again", I said, remembering my job. "Can I help you? Maybe you are looking for a book?" Hatori shook his head. "No, I am not here for books", he replied and for a short second I could see his smile again, as he faced me with his amazing blue eyes. "Actually, the one I was looking for, was … you."

When he said this word, I was sure my heart had stopped beating. "M, me?", was the only thing I could stutter. "Yes." Hatori nodded. "I got your note and the chocolate. I wanted to thank you. It was a very nice thing of you to do, Kari-san." Our eyes met, as I looked up into his … "You're welcome", I said honestly. For a minute, none of us spoke. We just looked at each other … Words weren't necessary.

Finally, I cleared my throat, to regain my compusure. "But how did you find me?", I wanted to know. I had never mentioned in which bookstore I was working. "Shigure", came the answer. "Mitsuru is his editor and this his her bookstore. You said, you and Mitsuru know each other from work, so I assumed you would be here", he explained. "Only logical", I agreed.

I noticed the jealous looks of my colleagues. "So, you're really not interested in books?", I asked Hatori, trying to hide my nervousness. He laughed. "No, thanks", he replied apologetically. "And I am afraid, I have to go now. I don't have much time … I just wanted to …" He paused, not finishing the sentence. To see me? "It's okay", I told him. "It was good to see you again." Hatori shortly touched my hand. I could feel the infamous butterflies, doing somersaults in my stomach. "Bye, Kari", Hatori said. He turned, about to leave.

"Wait!" My heart took over for my brain. I didn't want him to go, now maybe forever! Not at least, while I still had a chance! It's not over, until it's over, right? Hatori stopped and looked at me, surprise in his face. I swallowed. "I was wondering … if you want … would you like to have dinner with me tonight?" Silence … Hatori seemed to be completely taken aback. For a terrible second I was sure, he was going to say no. But then, he smiled. And not just a short smile, that you could barely see, but a real one. A smile, that could make the sun rise ... "I would love to, Kari", he said.

Maybe it was the fact that Hatori indeed had said yes, but suddenly, my whole vocabulary seemed to have left my head. "Great", was all I could reply, my voice sounding high and squeaky. "Then should we meet here, at seven o'clock?" Hatori nodded. "Seven sounds perfect", he said.

Hatori left, as I was surrounded by my female colleagues, who wanted to know, who he was and what we had talked about. I didn't tell them. I couldn't speak. I was just standing there, trying to realise what had just happened. I had to pinch myself, to make sure it was not a dream. I would see Hatori again! And - "What am I going to wear?!"


	6. Chapter 6

At seven o'clock I was near to one of Mitsuru's nervous breakdowns. "I don't know how to behave on a date", I thought. I never really had a date before. In school, I was the bookworm that you could borrow notes from for literature class. Sometimes I doubted if the boys even knew, I existed. I had never thought of myself as pretty. Not ugly either, but certainly not pretty. I was small and slender, with long, chocolate brown hair, silver-brown eyes and pale skin. Someone you could easily overlook. And now I was going to have a date with the most fascinating (and most handsome) man I had met in my whole life …

"Calm down!", I told myself, as I finally reached the bookstore. I heard footsteps a few metres away from me. I turned round. There in the dark, coming towards me, was Hatori. He was dressed in black, as usual (except the white shirt) and he smiled, as he saw me. Only Hatori could smile like that … All of my worries, all of my fears vanished into thin air. Everything would be fine … We were here, together, that was the only thing that mattered …

"Perfect timing", I said, as he came to me. "Indeed." Hatori stood beside me. "You look pretty", he said, noticing my dress. "Thanks." I was glad it was dark, so that he couldn't see me blushing. "You too."

For a moment we both went silent, feeling slightly self-conscious. When I finally found the courage to break the ice. "Come on." I gently grabbed Hatori's hand. He looked up, surprised. "I know a nice restaurant, just a few steps from here." I grinned. "I hope you like sushi." Hatori's face lightened up. "Sounds great", he said softly. I laughed. "Then come!" He joined in my laughing, as we walked to the restaurant, hand in hand. How I loved the sound of his laughter …

"So tell me", Hatori said, as we sat a few minutes later in a nice, little restaurant and were looking through the menues. "You never told me what you are doing, when you are not working in the bookstore or dancing in the snow." "Nothing special", I had to admit. "I am afraid, my life is pretty ordinary. I live in a one-room apartment, I call my parents every day …" "Your parents?", Hatori asked, sounding interested. I nodded. "My father owns a dojo in Tokyo", I told him and added jokingly: "I am an only child, I think that's why my mother is so protective of me." Hatori looked at me thoughtfully. "Well, your parents love you", he said. "Yes, and they have very special plans for my life", I replied. Hatori raised an eyebrow, noticing the slightly sad undertone in my voice.

"What do you mean?", he wanted to know. I paused for a moment, before I went on. "They are always telling me what they want me do", I answered. "To study medicine, to find a husband, to stop reading so much …" "But they never ask you what you want", Hatori realised. "And you feel that you can't live up to their expectations" "Yes …" I stopped. Hatori was the first person, that I had told all this … But he understood.

"What is it, that you want to do?", he asked me. I looked up. "I want to become a writer", I answered promptly. "I have since I was a little girl. I have already written several short stories, but it is difficult to find a publisher." I smiled. "I guess, I just have to keep trying", I said. "You have to follow your dream, right? Never give up … " Hatori had listened to me silently until now. "Right …" I noticed a flicker in his eyes.

"But enough of me." I leaned forward, bringing me closer to Hatori. "I still don't know anything about you, except that you are a doctor who likes to read." Hatori smiled at my description of him. "There is not much to know", he said. "Not much to know, or not much you want to tell me?" The words were out before I could stop myself. But Hatori didn't seem to be hurt. "I don't talk about myself very often", he replied.

"And what if I want to know more about you?", I asked back. Hatori smiled at this, but it was a sad smile. "My life is … complicated", he then began. "My parents both died when I was still young." "I am sorry", I said sympathetically. Hatori shook his head, to show that it was okay. "They didn't exactly were what you would call warm and loving parents", he told me. "I always knew exactly what I had to do, how I had to act or what I had to say. I never could fool around like my friends did, or play with them." "That sounds, as if you would have been very lonely", I said, feeling for him. "Yes", Hatori answered. "I mean no", he then added hastily, as if something had slipped him, he didn't want to say. "I was never lonely. I always had my family around me. But … yes, sometimes it did feel lonely, I guess." He bit his lips, as if he would have said too much.

"And now you're still living with your family?", I asked him, wanting to know more. Hatori nodded. "Our family structures are quite complex", he said. "I have many relatives, as you could see. Right now, I am the doctor of the Soma family." We both laughed.

"You care for others", I said softly. Hatori listened up. "Caring for other people is a noble thing to do", I continued gently. "But, Hatori, everyone needs someone who is also there for them." His eyes were now locked to mine. "And you would be there for me?", he asked, his voice barely a whisper. "If you would let me …", I whispered back.

The uncomfortable silence, the hidden nervousness … they disappeared. Hatori and I could talk. And so we did … We talked about everything. We ate and laughed, while Hatori told me, that his two best friends were also relatives of him. His two cousins, Shigure, whom I had already met, and Ayame, also their age. "They are two of the few Somas who don't live in or near the main house", Hatori told. "Why?", I asked, out of curiousity. I immediately got the feeling that I had asked something wrong. Or at least, Hatori really seemed to think, what to answer me. "Shigure, he … he just had to have a place of his own", he finally answered, sounding evasive. "And Aya … well, is Aya. You will understand what I mean, when you meet him."

Hatori chuckled. "He is one of a kind. Or at least, that is what he says. I would say that Ayame just drives me crazy." "You like them", I noted, smiling. Hatori nodded. "They are my friends", he replied and added, slightly grinning. "Although they act like little children, making me want to strangle them." I giggled. "They sound hilarious!" On Hatori's face appeared a mischievous grin, that I had last seen on Shigure Soma. "Believe me, it is not so funny, if you are the one, who has to help them out, everytime they get into trouble."

He told me how Ayame was called to the headmaster of their school, because of his silvery hair. How Ayame told him that he was a prince from a distant land and had to have such hair because of their traditions. "He confused and scared the poor man half to death. In the end, the headmaster just let him go", Hatori said. I laughed.

And so the evening went by. I enjoyed Hatori's company so much, that I only realised how late it was, when he walked me home.

"It's going to snow!", I said, as we were walking to my apartment. Hatori raised an eyebrow, clearly not believing me. "How would you know that?", he asked doubtfully. "I heard the weather forecast and it didn't mention anything about snow." I shook my head. "The air!", I said. "It smells like snow." "It smells cold", Hatori corrected me. I laughed. "Oh, come on!" I took his hand. "Trust me", I said. Hatori smiled. "Right now, I am not sure, if this is such a good idea", he replied, teasing me. I stuck out my tongue at him. "Oh, you're funny!"

We laughed and teased each other nearly the whole way back to my apartment. "I must say, for someone who seems so quiet and introverted, you can be quite cheeky", I said as we reached the door of my apartment building. "You should never judge a book by its cover", Hatori reminded me. "True …"

We fell silent. "So …" Hatori smiled, as he stepped closer to me. "I guess we have to say good-bye." "Yes …" I looked up, into those amazing eyes. "Thank you for the wonderful evening, Hatori. I really had fun tonight." He nodded. "Me too …"

Hatori was standing now right in front of me. How tall he was … Tall and perfect …

Before I really knew, what was happening, Hatori bent down, bringing our faces even closer together. Our noses touched … And then, his lips were on mine.

Feelings, that I cannot describe, rushed through me, filling every inch of my body. I closed my eyes, just enjoying the feeling of Hatori's soft lips. The whole world seemed to have disappeared. The people, the cold … There was only Hatori and me … Our hands were intertwined, so that I couldn't put them around his neck. We just stood there, lost in the magic of the moment … The Kiss seemed to last forever.

"Wow", I said slowly, as we finally let go of each other. My head was spinning. Hatori was still close to me, so that I could feel his chest heaving, as he tried to breath normally again. "I don't think this word does it justice", he managed to say. "No", I agreed. "You're right …"

As our breathing got slowly back to normal, I suddenly felt something wet and cold on my cheek. "What …?" We both looked up. I started laughing. "This can't be!", I heard Hatori say. "It's snowing!", I exclaimed happily. "I have to apologise", Hatori laughed, his hand still in mine. "I promise never to doubt your snow instincts ever again." "See?", I said, as I slowly stood up on my toes, to bring me closer to him. "You can trust me ..." "Yes …" And we kissed under the snow …

"This is an almost ridiculously perfect moment", I said, as we parted again. Hatori let his finger run through my hair. "Will you have lunch with me tomorrow, Kari-chan?", he asked me. I smiled and touched his hand. "Lunch, dinner … Whatever you want", I replied. As long as you never stop pronouncing my name the way you do, Hatori … "Good …"

When I went back into my apartment, I still felt the taste of Hatori's lips on mine …


	7. Chapter 7

The next day I could hardly wait for the lunch break. How I was looking forward to see Hatori again! I knew I had this goofy love-smile on my face, as I saw him entering the bookstore. My heart skipped a beat at his sight. That a single person can have such an effect on you! "Hey you", he said affectionately. "Hey!", I aswered, as he took my hand (making my colleagues stare at us wide-eyed). "Are you ready?", he asked. I didn't hesitate. "Yes."

What followed was pure bliss. During the next week, Hatori and I met every day. For lunch, for dinner, sometimes even for both. On the weekend we took a romantic stroll through the city. Hatori even took me to the Tokyo Sea Life Park, where I could admire the little seahorses.

"They are just so cute!", I said, as I watched them through the glass of the tank. "You think so?", Hatori asked. Unlike me, he didn't seem to be too fond of the seahorses. He soon suggested to leave. We ended up in a nice little teahouse and I quickly forgot about the seahorses, as I was sitting next to Hatori.

To make it short: I was as happy, as a girl could be, head over heels in love with the wonderful and perfect Hatori Soma.

And yet, I couldn't help the feeling, that something wasn't right. It was Hatori: I knew that he liked me, otherwise he wouldn't have spend so much time with me, but still … He seemed so distant. He never, never told me anything about himself (except the bit I got to know on our first date). He never mentioned his family (except Shigure and Ayame, again, on our first date).

Another thing I found strange was, that Hatori didn't kiss me. The only time we had kissed, was when he had walked me home, after our first date. Sometimes, we held hands, but that was about as close as I could get to him. It was, as if Hatori would be afraid of letting me come near him. I didn't know what to make of all this.

And I was starting to get confused. Maybe I was wrong and Hatori just saw me as a good friend? Or why was he so scared of opening himself up to me?

"Oh, I know what his problem his!", Mitsuru said, as I finally had decided to tell her about Hatori and me. "He had a highschool sweetheart", she told me, her face all serious. "They were madly in love, but when they graduated, she dumped him for another guy and broke poor Hatori's heart. And she hurt him so much, that since than, he never had been able to trust another love." I raised an eyebrow sceptically. "Isn't this a bit too dramatic?", I said. Mutsuru looked at me, insulted by comment. "What do you want to hear?", she asked. "That he's under an evil curse and cannot dare to fall in love with someone, because he would turn into a werewolf?" I laughed at this. "And I thought I was the one with much imagination!" I had no idea …

In the end, I decided to just drop the matter. Maybe I was exaggerating. Hatori sure had his reasons for being so mysterious about himself. And it was really none of my concern anyhow (at least not at this point in our relationship, or if you could call it that). We had just begun dating anyway. And, as long as he was with me, I was happy!

So, a week passed. Finally, it was Saturday and Hatori and I were walking through the park, where we had first met. Of course, not touching each other in any way.

"And it's snowing!", I laughed. "You see, snow is special: Everytime we are together, it snows!" "That's because it is winter", Hatori corrected me. He shook his head, watching me, dancing under the snow flaked. "You truly are snow obsessed, aren't you?", he said. "I can't help it, I'm a winter child", I answered. "My birthday is in December." "That explains a lot", Hatori replied, sounding sarcastic.

"Okay, that's it!" I took his hand, forcing him, to follow me. "Stop thinking and enjoy", I told him. "I'll show you, it's more fun than you might think."

I took Hatori's hands. "No way!", was the reply I got. But in the end, he had no choice, as I let myself fall back and he had to dance slightly, to keep me from falling. "What if somebody sees us?", he asked, as I giggled devilishly. "You're still thinking!", I answered.

We danced. It was just us two, in the park, surrounded by the snowflakes. It was magical. I felt as one of those beautiful dancers, you can see in the snow domes. I swear, I could hear music from somewhere (yeah, I know, now it's getting corny …).

And Hatori felt the same. He was smiling now. "See?", I said softly. "It is fun." His blue eyes searched mine. "You truly are the strangest and loveliest creature, I've ever met, Kari", he said. I giggled, blushing. "I take that as a compliment."

Now, deciding that we had enough (and as it was getting dark and cold), I let go of Hatori to walk again beside him. When it happened …

I slipped. I wanted to go to Hatori, as my feet lost contact to the icy ground and I slipped. I fell. "Watch out!", I could hear Hatori yell, as he rushed to me, to catch me. I felt his hands, touching my back …

And then, there was nothing. I thought I heard a small "puff", as I stopped in mid-air. "What …?", I asked, confused. "Hatori?" He didn't seem to stand behind me anymore. "Are you here?" I turned round. Nothing. "Where is he gone?", I thought, irritated. Hatori couldn't possibly have run away. Not so fast at least.

"This is strange …", I thought. When I looked down. And saw it.

Lying on the ground were Hatori's clothes. And, inside his black coat, I saw a little, golden-brown coloured seahorse, looking at me. I stopped dead. "H … Hatori?", I stuttered, as I didn't know what else to do. "Tori-san?"

The seahorse moved it's mouth. _It was trying to talk to me. _

"Oh my god!" Now completely freaking out, I began to bob frantically. "H … Hatori!", I squealed. "What, what should I do? Do you need water?" Panicking, I ran my hand through my hair, as Hatori, the seahorse desperately moved inside his coat. "Which water? Saltwater, freshwater, warm, cold …?" I stopped, Hatori flapped his little wings. "Hatori, talk to me!"

Finally, I mananged to calm down and did the only thing I could think of: I gently put Hatori up into my arms, grabbed his clothes and ran as fast as I could to my apartment, which was luckily not very far away. I was glad that I didn't meet anybody on my way. Otherwise, I would have had a really hard time to explain, why I had a seahorse in my arm …

Having reached my apartment, I put Hatori into my bathtub, filled with warm water, as I didn't want him to dehydrate. I watched him swimming, trying to realise what had just happened.

_My_ _boyfriend has turned into a seahorse_ …

"Is, is everything alright?", I asked Hatori, now being my normal self again. "Is there anything I can do for you?" The little seahorse just looked at me sadly.

"What should I do now?", I wanted to know, as I was waiting, sitting beside the bathtub and watching Hatori. Should I wait here, until he turned back? A scary thought entered my mind. He would turn back eventually, right?

I don't know how much time had passed. I was thinking of how I should explain this to Hatori's family, if he was going to stay like this, as suddenly, I heard a "puff". "Hatori?" I turned to the bathtub. And saw him. Oh yes, Hatori certainly was human again. And he was naked.

I yelped and turned to face the wall, beet red in my face, still having the picture of his naked chest in my mind (I didn't let my eyes wander further down …).

"Here", I said, handing him a huge towel. "Thank you", I could hear Hatori's voice. I stood up, still trying not to look at him. "Your clothes are on the chair next to the wash basin", I told him. "I will make us tea." "Okay."

I went into the kitchen, collecting my thoughts. Seeing you boyfriend turn into a seahorse and back again, naked, really wasn't something you see everyday ...


	8. Chapter 8

"Hey." Hatori entered my kitchen. I turned to him. "Hey." He was dressed again, a towel still in his hand to dry his hair. Feeling suddenly shy and not knowing what to say, I pointed to the tea pot. "I made us tea." "Great." Hatori stepped beside me. He must have been just as self-conscious as me.

I smiled, as I looked at him. "Your hair", I said, as I touched it affectionately. "It's still wet." "Oh, yes …" Hatori put a hand to his head.

"Wait", I said, stepping forward. "Let me …"

I gently took the towel from him. We went into the living room, where Hatori sat on the carpet, so that I could reach his head. It was fun, feeling his soft black hair, running through my hands. I think I took more time to dry Hatori's hair, than I actually had to.

"So, are you feeling okay?", I asked him. Maybe the transformation into a seahorse had been painful. "I'm fine", Hatori assured me. "But", he added, if you would have put a real seahorse into a bathtub with warm water, you would have killed it … I think."

"I'm sorry", I said, smiling apologetically. "But I was panicking, so I went into problem-solving mode. And this was the only idea I could come up with." "It's okay." Hatori was looking down, avoiding my eyes.

"So, you saw it", he said. I blushed. "No, no!", I assured him quickly, "I didn't see anything, I swear!" Hatori smiled shortly at my stammering. "I ment the seahorse", he replied. "Oh that." I paused for a second. "Yes, I saw that."

My hand with the towel was still on Hatori's head, so that I couldn't see his face. I could tell by the way that he was squirming uncomfortably that he was embarrassed. "But this is nothing to be ashamed of!", I assured him. "Actually, I think it's cute.", I added truthfully.

Hatori didn't reply. "Don't you want to know why?", he asked, still not looking at me. "Why I had turned into a seahorse?" I stopped. "Don't you think it's … strange?" Well, to this, I certainly had a answer!

"Not at all!", I replied, completely honest. "Of course I was surprised, but … it wasn't anything bad!" I allowed myself a little grin. "Not that it wouldn't be interesting to know, why my boyfriend suddenly is a seahorse."

I had to wait a few seconds for Hatori's response.

"It is a curse", he answered slowly. I looked up. "My family and I, or better said, twelve of my other family members and I, are under a curse", Hatori continued. "Everytime we are hugged by a person of the opposite sex or our body is under a great deal of stress, each of us turn into an animal of the Chinese zodiac. I am the dragon but …" he paused and I could see him blush a little. "For some reasons, I only turn into a seahorse."

I listened silently. So this was it … a curse … Well, I guess it made sense. It would explain why Hatori always seemed so distant … Why he was still so close to his family … Why his eyes were so sad …

"So this is the reason, why you never hold me", I said, stroking his hair a bit. Hatori clenched his fists.

"You're afraid. Afraid of what could happen, when somebody finds out …", I realised.

"So you never let anyone in … You shut other people out of your life … Me …"

I swallowed. "But there is one thing you should know", I went on.

"I don't care about this curse. I am glad to be here with you, Hatori. I am glad to have met you …"

I let my head sink onto his, a tear escaping my eyes. "I am glad to have fallen in love with you."

Hatori didn't respond. I was thinking of what to say to convince him that I was saying the truth, as I saw tears, falling from his cheeks to the ground. Hatori was crying …

"Oh my …" I could have slapped myself. "I am sorry!", I said quickly, trying to comfort him. "Did I say something wrong? I didn't want to make you cry!"

The tears just kept falling. It was as if a dam had broken … I got the feeling that these tears had waited for a long time to come out.

"Please …", I said, running my hands through his hair. I couldn't bear to see Hatori cry! Until I heard him laugh.

"Don't apologise", he said, laughing between his sobs. "It's okay. In fact, it never had been better." And then, he finally looked up, me directly in the eyes. "I thank you, Kari", he said, tears still running down his cheeks. "For everything you did … For everything you said. I am so grateful to have met you."

"Anytime", I said. Now I was laughing too. It was all too much … For a whole minute, we just sat there and laughed.

Gently, I wiped away the tears from Hatori's face. "I love you, Hatori Soma", I said. "Since the moment I saw you …" He took my hand. "I love you too, Kari", he replied, his voice still shaky. My heart jumped as he said this. Hatori loved me …

He squeezed my hand. "You have no idea, how much I wish I could hug you right now", he said. I smiled, as I moved closer to him. "Close your eyes", I whispered. Hatori followed me.

Lovingly, I stroke his cheek. "I will always be by your side", I said softly. "I will shelter you, as good as I can. This, I promise to you, Hatori."

I heard him sigh happily, as he felt the warmth of my hand on his cheek. I could tell that it was good for him to hear this …

It has gone dark by now. I hadn't realised how late it was, until I looked out of the window. Hatori followed my eyes. "I, I should probably go now", he said. I was still holding his hand. "I wish you would stay", I whispered. I didn't want him to go. Not now. Not after all that had happened today …

Hatori's eyes met mine. "Me too", he said, his eyes flickering.

Affectionately, he cupped my face into his hands, bringing me closer to him. "There is so much, I want to tell you, Kari …" He paused. "So much, you have to understand … If I –" "Sshh …" I silenced him gently, by putting a finger to his lips.

"We have time for that tomorrow", I told him softly. "Just for once, forget the curse. Even, if it is only for tonight. Let us pretend, the world would stand still … You and me …" Hatori smiled, his eyes shimmering. "Yes …"

Our faces were now merely inches apart. We were about to kiss, when I suddenly stopped. "Wait", I said, grinning shily. "Is this even possible … I mean, we …" Hatori chuckled. "As long as you don't hug me, we can do everything we want", he replied. I giggled. "Well, this could get interesting then …" Hatori looked shocked. "Kari!", he said, blushing. I laughed. "I was just joking!", I said, as I put my hand around his neck, to pull him closer. "You're so cute …"

And we kissed, on the carpet in my living room. Hatori and me … Outside, it was snowing …

Hatori lovingly ran his hands through my hair. "You truly are a Hikari", he said, smiling. "A light, shining bright and warm, like a candle on a cold winter night." I couldn't help it: I just had to kiss him again!


	9. Chapter 9

It was simply ment to be. That is the only word with which I could describe, what happened during that evening … Neither Hatori nor I said a word. There was no need for talking …

I can not remember, how we ended up in my bedroom. There were kisses, so full of sweet love and hidden passion that it made me dizzy … Hatori's white skin, as he took off his shirt … His eyes, locked to mine … The warmth of his body … The feeling of his skin under my hands …

Lying side by side on my bed, we fell asleep.

…

It was still dark, when I woke up. I was lying on my bed, snuggled against Hatori's arm as this was the closest I could get to him, without making him turn into a seahorse. Carefully, so I wouldn't wake Hatori up, I turned to my side, as I watched him sleep. He looked so calm and peaceful … Hatori …

He had gone through much during the past years. Feeling like an outcast, always having to be careful of what you say or do … It must have been very hard for Hatori to trust other people. Now I understood, why he had been so reluctant when we first met.

I gently touched his hair. "I promise you, never to let you down …", I whispered. Hatori didn't react.


	10. Chapter 10

The next morning I was awoken by Hatori. I heard him walk to the window. Sleepily, I opened an eye. "Hey", I said, surprised. "You're already up?" He turned to me. "I'm sorry", he replied, smiling. "Did I wake you up?" I shook my head, as I sat up. "No, it's okay."

Now, I also noticed that Hatori was fully dressed. I looked up, a bad feeling rising in me. "Did you plan to leave without saying good – bye?", I asked.

Hatori paused, before he answered. "I have to get back", he tried to explain. "When my family will see, that I hadn't spent the night in my house …" He stopped. I just nodded.

I didn't understand. What was happening here? Hatori didn't even want to look at me!

I watched, as he went to the door. "Did I do something wrong?", I wanted to know. He immediately turned round to face me. "No, not all!", he assured me. "Then I don't understand what is going on", I replied, knowing that I sounded hurt. Hatori sighed. Slowly, he sat down on the bed next to me. "You were perfect, Kari-chan", he repeated. "It's …" He paused for a moment, searching for the right words. "I never did this", he tried to explain. For some reason, I knew that he didn't ment spending the night with a woman with that.

"I doubt, any of my family members ever did something like that", Hatori continued. "You are talking about the curse", I realised. Hatori nodded.

"Never, has an outsider ever known our secret", he told me. "Even most of our family members don't know about the curse. Me, being here with you now is unacceptable."

The hardness of these words hurt. "So, you mean you have to leave?", I asked, scared of the answer. "I should", Hatori answered. "I should have never let you in my life", he added, each word causing pain for me. "At the moment you found out about the curse, I should have gone", he said. I think he must have noticed, how hurt I looked, because he grabbed my hand and looked at me apologetically.

"I'm not saying this, because I want to leave you", he told me seriously. "But maybe, because it would be the best for you."

I didn't understand. "I'm not scared of this curse", I assured him. "I don't care! And you know, that I would never tell anyone about your secret, if this is what's bothering you!" "I know!", Hatori nodded. "And it's not that …"

He went silent. "There is something, you still don't know about me", he said. "I wanted to tell you, but I … I never found the right words." I snuggled closer against him. "You can tell me everything", I replied softly. Hatori thankfully squeezed my hand.

"You have no idea about the effect of the curse on our life", he began, his face gloomy. "About what it means to leave among our family. It is not fun or pleasant … it is dark and evil." Evil … I didn't know what to say to this. So I stayed silent, and listened, as Hatori went on.

"I have a power, in addition to my zodiac form", he told me. "It is a power that has been in my family for ages. Its skills have been passed on from my grandfather to my father and to me."

I looked at him, a bad feeling taking hold of my heart. "What power?", I asked, my voice sounding small. Hatori waited a second, before he answered.

"I can erase people's memories", he said. I looked at him, dumbfounded. "You mean you –" "If someone from outside our family finds out about the curse, it is my duty to make them forget, they ever met us", Hatori repeated. "It works like hypnosis", he explained, as he noticed my confused face. "You fall asleep and when you wake up, you have forgotten everything that has something to do with the Somas."

I swallowed. "Outsiders … you mean people like me", I realised. Hatori avoided my eyes. "As I already mentioned, normally, I should have never allowed to let you come this close to me or my family", he said. I cringed slightly.

"So, why didn't you erase my memory?", I wanted to know. Hatori smiled sightly. "Because I am a selfish person, I'm afarid", he answered. "I fell in love with you, Kari." He blushed, as he said this. I would have found it cute, wouldn't we had been in this situation.

"And what happens now?", I asked, my voice barely audible now, afraid of what he might say. Finally, Hatori turned to look me in the eyes. "I will go and speak with Akito", he replied. "Akito?", I wondered. "Akito is the head of our family", Hatori told me. "I will talk to him and explain everything. Of course …" He broke off, looking away from me again. "I cannot disobey Akito's orders."

"You have to take my memories if he wants you to", I understood. "Yes." Hatori nodded. I felt the pain, taking hold of my heart at this thought. "You mean, I'll forget that I ever loved –" "You will remember, that you loved me", Hatori said quickly. "I can not erase your feelings. But … you will forget that I loved you back." "Which means that I won't remember the time we had together, or the moments we shared, everything …", I replied, trying to fight back the tears. "Yes …"

I knew that it hurt Hatori, to tell me all this. "You'll be fine", he promised me, his voice shaking. "It won't hurt …" "And what about you?", I wanted to know. Hatori turned to me, surprised. "Me?", he asked. "Of course!", I replied.

I grabbed his hand. He shivered. "I am not scared of what will happen to me", I continued. "I am scared, that you will be lonely again." Tears started to run down my cheeks. "I want your eyes to sparkle with joy, Hatori. You deserve to have this happy glow …" I sniffed, Hatori gasped, unable to talk. "If it is the best for you and your family, you can erase my memory … It's just … I don't want to forget our love, what we shared …" Hatori gently leaned his forehead against mine. I saw that he was crying too. "Me neither …", he whispered.

We both went silent. Finally, after a few minutes that we needed to regain our compusure, Hatori got up. I smiled, whiping away a tear. "I am scared that I will never see you again", I said. Hatori, who had reached the door by now, turned to face me. "We will see each other again", he promised. "Somehow or other."


	11. Chapter 11

Hatori left. I crawled up on my couch, thinking. Would he manage to persuade Akito that I could be trusted? Who was this Akito anyway? Why was Hatori so scared of him? He seemed pretty powerful … Akito, the head of the Soma family … Was he also a member of the zodiacs, like Hatori?

At this point I remembered the story about the animals … Invited by god to a feast. A terrible notion came over me. Could it be … Akito, the personification of the god?

"Don't be silly!", I shrugged off the bad feeling. "You're just getting paranoid because you don't want to lose Hatori!", I told myself. And yet … the man, I had seen looking out of the window, at my first visit to the Soma main house … Could it be?

The day seemed to last an eternity. I stayed at home, wondering about the curse of the Soma family and if Hatori would really have to erase my memories. It was evening, when the bell of my apartment rang.

"Hatori!" I had to force myself not to hug him, as I saw him, standing in front of me. He looked tired, but he was smiling. "Kari-chan." I gestured him to come in.

"Is everything okay?", I managed to ask. "I'm fine", Hatori nodded, as he sat down at the kitchen table. "I talked to Akito", he told me. "I explained everything and he seemed to understand … he said that, as long as I think we can trust you, it is okay for you to know about the curse, at least for now." For some reason, Hatori didn't look too happy though.

I grabbed his hand. "But this great!", I said. "We can be together! And we don't have to hide or anything." "True", Hatori nodded. "But you don't know Akito." His face darkened. "He did not allow me to stay with you for nothing … I am sure he had his motives …" He didn't say more but judging by the look on his face, it didn't mean anything good.

I smiled, bringing my face closer to his. "Well, right now, I am just happy, that you don't have to erase my memory", I said. Hatori gently touched my chin. "I am still not sure, if you really know, what you are getting yourself into …", he replied. I kissed him sweetly on the lips. "I know that I want to be together with you", I smiled. Hatori just looked at me. "Then this is the point of no return …"

That night I couldn't sleep. So I lay on my bed and watched Hatori, thinking about what had happened today. Again, Hatori hadn't told me anything about the curse, even though I had asked him. "The less you know, the better", he had said. "For your own good." It seemed to bother him, so I stopped asking. I was with Hatori, that was the only thing that mattered. As long as I could be with him, nothing else mattered …


	12. Chapter 12

Now, that I was officially with Hatori, there was also one positive side effect: I could visit him at the Soma main house! On Monday, Hatori asked me to visit him after work. So, not after long, I was standing in front of the huge gate that lead to the house of Soma. And I couldn't help it, I was nervous. "What if somebody sees me, like Akito?", I asked myself. "What, if they don't like me and distrust me? What, if they change their mind and order Hatori to erase my memory?"

So I was rambling on and on, until I decided that I was making myself only more nervous and should just walk in. When I suddenly heard a cheerful, happy voice, calling me from above.

"Hey, are you okay?" I looked up. Now I noticed a little boy with blond hair and huge blue eyes, sitting on the wall and smiling at me. I blinked. He looked, as if he had just stepped out of a commercial for candies, especially because of his pink and colourful clothes.

"Ah, yes", I answered and giggled nervously. "I was about to go in and –" "Oh!" The boy laughed. "You're Hikari, Hatori's girlfriend!"

I was taken aback. "Yes, I am", I answered. "How do you know –" "Because you look nice", the boy laughed, dangling his feet. "Thank you", I replied, flattered. "I am Momiji Soma", he introduced himself. "Come on in then!"

Now, with the warm welcome of Momiji, I felt more confident and walked through the gate. Momiji was standing next to it, gesturing me to follow him. "I'll show you the way to Hari's house", he said friendly, taking me by the hand. I smiled. "Okay." I immediately liked Momiji Soma!

Hatori was already waiting for me, sitting at his desk in his medical practice. He raised an eye brow, as he saw me entering with Momiji.

"Momiji?", he asked. "He was so kind to lead me to your house", I explained. The boy laughed, as he saw Hatori's stern face. "Don't worry, I'm gone", he joked. "But don't forget to show Hikari the garden!" Momiji left, hopping out of the room.

"He is a great kid!", I said to Hatori. "Momiji is thirteen", he told me. This took me by surprise. Well, he certainly looked younger than that!

"But I would really like to see the garden", I admitted. "If it is okay." After all, I knew that I was an outsider in the Soma World and I certainly didn't want to offend anybody. Hatori smiled. "Of course", he replied and got up from his chair. "Follow me."

"Wow! It is beautiful!" I was completely amazed by the beauty of the flowers and the picturesque buildings. "And so quiet." The whole Soma complex seemed to be deserted. There was only silence … And yet … It was not a pleasant, peaceful silence … It was almost threatening …

"Most of us are away during this time of day", Hatori told me. I shrugged off the strange feeling. I must be imagining things … But I noticed Hatori's eyes, searching the grounds, as if he would be checking if somebody was watching us too. "Why don't we go back and have some tea?", he suggested. "Sounds good", I nodded, not quite sure what to make of all this. We walked back in silence.

Was Akito also gone? Or was he here? He was the head of the Soma family, the one, who had allowed me to stay with Hatori. Was I going to see him some time soon? This, I wanted to ask Hatori, who was walking beside me, holding my hand almost protectively. I was about to open my mouth, as I suddenly felt something weird and cold, twining around my left leg.

"What …?" I looked down. And nearly fainted.

It was a snake. A huge silver - grey snake, wrapped around my leg, slowly crawling up to my back. "H, Hatori!", I bleeped. "Th, there … a … a …" I had never disliked snakes (actually, I thought they were pretty and had something elegant in the way they moved. I was more afraid of spiders), but I certainly didn't like, having one so close to my body! Especially, when I didn't know if it was poisonous.

Hatori immediately looked at my leg. But instead of saving me from the viper, he, to my great surprise, sighed and rolled his eyes. "Ayame", he said, his voice sounding annoyed as he faced the snake. "Would you please get off my girlfriend!"

"W, what?" I was so taken aback by Hatori addressing the animal like this, that I forgot to be scared. "You mean, this is Ayame, your –" Hatori still stared at the snake, who was slowly starting to back away. "Kari-chan, may I introduce you to Ayame Soma?", he asked, as the reptile coiled up in front of me. "Oh … sure." I remembered my manners again and bowed politely. "It is nice meeting you!", I said to Ayame the snake. He hissed something that sounded like a greeting.

So Ayame was the snake … "His body is very sensible to the cold", Hatori explained. "Normally, he is not supposed to go out at a weather like this because he might change into his zodiac form." He faced Ayame. "Imagine what could have happened, if you had transformed outside in front of strangers!", he said reproachfully. Ayame hissed an apology. Hatori sighed. "Well, I guess we should get back into the house", he told us.

Back in the warmth of Hatori's living room, I nearly had a heart attack, when Ayame transformed beside me and I suddenly saw a handsome young man, with huge golden eyes and long, beautiful hair, shining like pure silver, standing next to me (naked, I might add). Hatori dragged him into the bathroom, while I was covering my eyes, my face beet red.

After he had put on some of Hatori's clothes, Ayame, Hatori and me finally sat together in the living room. "Forgive me for scaring you like this", Ayame said to me and lowered his head in an apologising manner. "But when I've turned into a snake, I tend to go for body warmth and well …"

I giggled. Hatori looked at him, clearly disgruntled. "Aya, what are you doing here?", he wanted to kow. Ayame raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Isn't this obvious?", he asked. "I wanted to meet your girlfriend!" He turned to me. "Gure-san has told me everything." "Of course …", Hatori mumbled, as Ayame placed a hand on his heart, his eyes shimmering. "I can not put in words how happy I am for you, Hari", he said dramatically. "After years of loneliness, you have finally found that special someone!" Ayame sniffed emotionally. "You are not going to die alone …" He put a hand into the air. "The power of love defeats everything!", he exclaimed, as he grabbed my hands. "And you're cute! I knew you would be, after all you're Tori's girlfriend!"

"Thank you", I managed to say self-consciously. Hatori sighed. "Ayame, could you please try not to be yourself?", he asked him, although I could detect a little smile in his words. Ayame promptly stopped talking. I had to laugh.

"You must be really good friends", I could see. Hatori and Ayame both looked at me in surprise. "Well, I guess …", Hatori said. "We've known each other since we were little boys", Ayame confirmed. "Yes and I spent most of my time at school with getting you out of troubles", Hatori reminded him. Ayame grinned innocently. "If you are talking about this incident at our school trip, you know I had nothing to do with it …"

"What incident?", I asked, curious. "Some of our schoolmates went off into the red light district", came the answer from Hatori. "What?!" He nodded. "It was a huge scandal. And Ayama here, as the president of the student council wasn't really a great help." "Hey, no one got expelled!", Ayame defended himself. I could imagine why … Hatori had wangled it …

Hatori got up. "I am going to make us some tea", he told us. "Do you need any help?", I wanted to know. He smiled. "No I'm fine, thanks Kari-chan." He disappeared into the kittchen.

"Look at that …", Ayame said, sounding pleased. "I don't think I've ever seen Hatori smile like this before." He turned to me. "This must be your influence." "What?" I blushed. "Oh no, I doubt I have that much of an influence on –" "You do!", Ayame assured me. "Trust me."

He smiled, as he looked thoughtfully into his tea cup. "You know, Kari, we are all happy, that Hatori has found someone like you", he told me. "He had to go through so much during the past … Because of his special abilities, Hatori had lived almost completely isolated inside the Soma family. Shigure and I were the only friends he had. He rejected every girl, who showed interest in him, because he was scared … And of course, if Akito wanted him to erase someone's memory, he had to do so without asking any questions …"

I swallowed hard, as Ayame continued.

"My younger brother, Yuki, for example … he transforms into the rat. When he was a little child he often played with other kids, not cursed by the zodiac. One time, a girl accidentally came too close and he changed into the animal in front of all the other children. Hatori had to erase their memories one by one, making them forget having ever met Yuki. Naturally, he was too young to understand what was going on and although Hatori never said a word about it, I know that he feels guilty, even now. He blamed himself for robbing this little boy of his friends. Being watched by Yuki, who couldn't understand why he was so different …"

"I had no idea …", I managed to say, my voice shaky. "Hatori never told me …" "He hates talking about himself or his feelings", Ayame agreed. "I am sure he also hasn't told you about Momiji." I looked up. "I know Momiji", I said, surprised as I remembered the cute little (not so young) boy who had led me to Hatori's house.

"He is the rabbit", Ayame explained. "But when his mother saw that he was a member of the zodiac, she … she started to reject him." "What?", I asked, shocked. Ayame nodded gloomily. "She hated Momiji. She refused to hold him or to accept him as her child. In the end, she asked Hatori to erase her memory." I couldn't believe it. "You mean, she wanted to forget her own child, just because he turns into a rabbit?!", I asked, appalled. "Yes", Ayame replied with a forced smile. I didn't have to ask how the story ended. Poor Momiji …

"So, this is why I am so glad that you are here now, Kari", Ayame concluded, facing me happily. "You can make Hari forget all this." I smiled gratefully.

"Are you talking about me?" Hatori returned with tea and pastries. "Of course not!", Ayame replied, putting on an angel's face that fooled nobody, especially not Hatori. "I won't ask", he said, as he sat down beside me. I squeezed his arm lovingly. Hatori chuckled. "Everything alright?" I leaned my head on his shoulders. "Now it is …"

It was already dark, when I went back to my apartment. Hatori had to drive Ayame back to his flat, so that he wouldn't transform again. But Ayame didn't leave without making me promise to visit him and his girlfriend Mine at his shop.

"I bet Hatori, you would love to see Kari in one of my custom-made costumes", he said enthusiastically. I giggled, Hatori just rolled his eyes. "And I am going to talk to Shigure, so we can all have dinner at his house", Ayame continued, sounding very pleased. "Is that a threat?", Hatori replied. "You know what Shigure's house looks like. I would never take Kari there. And besides, who would cook the dinner? Shigure and Yuki always eat outside."

"Your brother lives with Shigure?", I asked Ayame puzzled. "I thought he would live here …" "He did", Ayame answered slowly "But he moved in with Shigure …" By the sound of his voice I could feel that there was more to this story, but as neither Ayame nor Hatori mentioned anything, I decided to drop the matter.

"There are four of the zodiacs who do not live at the main house", Hatori explained to me. "Ayame, the snake. Shigure, the dog. Yuki, the rat. And of course, Kyo." "Kyo?", I wondered. "The cat", Hatori answered. "Oh." I remembered the old story. Was Kyo not allowed to live here, because the cat had missed the zodiac banquet? And why did the others not live with the family?

On my way back to my apartment I thought abut all this. The Soma family really was mysterious!

"I'm wondering who the other members of the zodiac are … I hope I'll meet them one day!", I thought. Every Soma seemed so great and interesting in their own way … I wanted to know more about them. They all had been so nice to me … I was fascinated by their world that was so different from mine … Since I had met the Somas, I had found love with Hatori and made friends with Ayame and Momiji. For the first time in my life, I felt as if I would belong somewhere. As if I would have arrived at the place in life, I had to be.

Even though Hatori still didn't want me to know too much about his family. "This is the point of no return", he had told me once. And he was right. I was now part of the Soma family (or I knew their secret). I couldn't turn back now. And I didn't want to …


	13. Chapter 13

So the weeks went by. Nearly every day, I was with Hatori at the Soma main house. I ate cakes with Momiji, visited Ayama and Mine at their shop and laughed about Shigure's antics. He often came over and always had a book for me with him (of course, only books written by him). As time went by, I also got to meet the other members of the zodiac, as I always had wished:

Kagura, the pig (boy did she scare me, when I saw her with Kyo, the cat!), Hatsuharu, the cow (I immediately liked his cool looks and cute charme, although I was a bit irritated at first when I met black Haru), Rin, the horse (she was really cool towards me, but I liked her nevertheless. Although I had the strange feeling that she was together with Hatsuharu, but hiding it from others …), Ritsu, the monkey (he reminded me so much of Mitsuru that it was spooky!), Yuki, the rat (he really looked a lot like his older brother) and Kisa and Hiro Soma, the tiger (yay, a soulmate!) and the sheep.

And I loved all of them! They were great, each of them in their own individual way. Shigure, Ayame, Yuki, Kyo, Haru, Kagura, Momiji, Rin, Ritsu, Kisa, Hiro … Within a few days, they had become something like a second family for me … It was almost, as if they always had been here with me. I couldn't imagine my life without them anymore.

And there was Hatori. It was so great to be with him, to have him by my side ... We were madly in love and spent as much time together, as possible. Which ment, that I visited him in his medical practice. The treatment of this strange Akito really did seem to take up a lot of his time … "He does know that slave labor is illegal, doesn't he?", I asked Hatori worried, as I saw him sitting tired and exhausted in his chair. Hatori didn't answer. Little did I know, that I was about to meet the head of the Soma family myself …

Ten days had passed since my first meeting with Ayame. Now, on a warm Sunday, the very first this year, I was with Hatori, showing off my new dress (designed by Ayame, created by Mine).

"I am so thrilled about this", I said enthusiastically, dancing around, trying to get Hatori's attention (he was looking through his charts at his desk). "Normally I don't wear such dresses, but I really have to say, I just love this dress!" Hatori threw a quick glance at me. "You look ridiculous", he told me in his scientific, matter-of-fact voice. "What? How can you say that?!", I asked, sounding hurt. Hatori smiled, as he got up from his chair to kiss me. "But strangely, I think you are also very cute." "Thanks", I replied sarcastically, pretending to be still angry with him. But, well, how could I do that, when Hatori was looking at me like that?

He kissed me. "One thing I have to admit, Ayame knows what looks good on people", he whispered in my ear. I giggled, slightly shivering from him being so close to me. "Come here, you …" I leaned in to kiss him. Our lips nearly touched, as I suddenly heard the door of the practice being opened. I opened an eye and felt my heart jump from shock: The man, the man I had seen looking out of a window on my first visit here … He was standing right in front of us!

Hatori let go of me instantly. "Akito!", he said, sounding as frightened as I was. So he was the head of the Soma family! Akito was dressed completely in black, matching his raven black hair and dark eyes. He was beautiful, especially his snow white skin ... but … a strange smile had appeared on his face as he watched Hatori and me. I shivered, but this time for a different reason …

"I am sorry if I am interrupting you", Akito said politely, his eyes now fixed on me. "But I heard that Hikari Aino is here and I really wanted to meet you." The creepy smile of his was now starting to seriously scare me … "The girl from outside that has stolen our Hatori's heart", he continued. "I do hope you forgive my curiosity." Thankfully, I regained my speech again at this point.

"Of course!", I said quickly and bowed politely two times. "It is an honour to meet the head of the Soma family!" I kept my head down, too nervous to say anything. Akito now faced Hatori. "She is cute", he told him, yet, his voice had a sound that I didn't like. "It is clear what you see in her …"

Hatori protectively put his hands on my shoulders. Akito was smiling again. "I hope we will see each other again, Hikari Aino", he said to me, as he turned to leave. I could only nod.

After Akito had left, both of us took a deep breath.

"You never told me that the head of your family is so spooky", I said to Hatori, still recovering from the shock. "I am sorry", he replied. "I had no idea … Akito had never mentioned anything about wanting to meet you. But I guess I should have seen it coming, now that you already know the other members of the zodiac …" Hatori took my hand. "Are you alright?", he asked anxiously. "Yes, I'm fine", I assured him. "When I think about it, Akito wasn't that bad … He was very polite." Hatori didn't say anything to that.

"Hari, Hari!" The door opened again, and Momiji appeared, looking upset. "Akito wants to see Kari!", he warned us, waving his hands frantically. Hatori sighed. "We know", he told him. "He has already been here." "Oh." Momiji paused, still clearly worried. "Nothing happened", I assured him. The boy smiled relieved. "Good!", he said. "I heard Akito talk to Kureno and I was scared …" He laughed happily. "But you're alright!" And with that, he hugged me, naturally turning into a rabbit in the process. I giggled.

"Who is Kureno?", I wanted to know. "The rooster of the zodiac", Hatori answered, as he collected Momiji's clothes. "But I doubt that you will ever meet him, like the others. No one does." "Kureno lives with Akito and is not allowed to leave his side", Momiji explained. "That's why hardly anyone has ever seen him. Some members of our family doesn't even know he exists." "But this is terrible!", I said, deeply moved. "Kureno must be so lonely!" "It's Akito", Hatori replied calmly.

I swallowed hard. No one should be allowed to treat people like this! Especially their own family.

The romantic mood was spoiled. Momiji left, Hatori and I soon went to bed afterwards. Me, meeting Akito seemed to have upset him … I can still see the look on Hatori's face, as Akito had talked to him … a mix of fear, anger and helplessness. But as ever, he didn't want to talk about it. Yet, I knew … Kureno wasn't the only Soma, who was caged by Akito and his orders …

Time passed … Hatori was busy as ever with treating Akito. "Akito-san is waiting for you", as a maid once told him, when I was there. "You know how he gets when he has to wait …" Hatori groaned, but followed the orders. And I couldn't help but think, that it was exactly, what Akito wanted: To keep Hatori occupied, so that he couldn't spend much time with me. I never said anything about this to Hatori though. He seemed already troubled enough. And, as long as I could still be with him, I was happy. Hatori was my one in a million … Being with him was like a dream … but all dreams must end. I didn't know that catastrophe was about to follow …

…

Two month had passed, since Hatori had seen me dancing in the snow. But our love only had gotten stronger …

"I love you, Kari", Hatori whispered as we were snuggling on my couch. "I love you too", I replied and kissed him affectionately on his nose. That three little words can make you that happy …

"There is something, I have to ask you", Hatori said, now sounding serious. I looked up into his beautiful eyes. "Sure, what?", I replied, wondering what it could be. He seemed so secretive all of a sudden …

Hatori took my hand, smiling as his eyes met mine. "Kari, do you want to marry me?", he asked me gently. I squealed in reply. "Yes!", I answered, as I kissed him passionately. "Of course I want to marry you, Hatori!" "Good …"

Just like that … It seemed like the most natural thing in the world, that Hatori proposed to me. And that I said yes. We belonged together … Forever …

…

Naturally, there was one thing to consider: My parents still had no idea that I was with Hatori. I never told them. If they would have known about us, they would have immediately stormed into the Soma house and questioned poor Hatori about marriage and sons. I really wanted to spare him this frightening experience!

"I am looking forward to meeting your mother and your father", Hatori told me the following morning. He seemed nervous though. I understood. Neither of us had ever been in a relationship like this before. And, beside that, there was –

"But I think we should wait with telling them." Hatori's eyes searched mine, as he tried to find the right words for what he wanted to say. "It would be best, if we talk to Akito first."

All out of a sudden we went silent. Of course … I had been so happy with Hatori proposing to me, that I hadn't thought about the head of the Soma family. Well … It was only logical that Hatori would tell him about our plans … Especially, when there was the curse to consider …

And, as I had learned, Akito always had the final say, when it came to family decisions. If only I wouldn't get this cold and numb feeling, everytime he was mentioned! He had been very polite to me at our first meeting … yet I couldn't help but think that there was more to this … I was still an outsider, an intruder into the isolated world of the Somas.

"Do you think he will refuse to give us his blessing?", I asked Hatori, unable to keep the anxiety out of my voice. He smiled in reply and squeezed my hand encouragingly.

"Don't worry", he said soothingly without looking at me. "Everything will be fine, I promise!"

"That doesn't sound very convincing", I replied sceptically.

"Akito might just need … some time to process the news", Hatori tried to explain. "Sometimes, he can be … unpredictable." I raised an eyebrow, suspicious. What was that supposed to mean?

"Akito easily loses his temper", Hatori continued, facing his tea cup instead of me. "When he gets angry …" "You mean like Hatsuharu, when he goes black?", I asked, now really starting to get worried. I couldn't imagine someone as fragile and weak as Akito Soma to go all berserk, but …

"No", Hatori replied, a strange tone in his voice. "He is far worse."

"But –", I stammered. I didn't understand! Akito must be almost ten years younger than Hatori, Shigure and Ayame. So why was he so scared of him? I didn't knew … Would things have turned out differently? Maybe it had been my fault after all …

Hatori smiled lovingly, as he noticed my confused and scared face. "There is no reason to worry", he tried to dispel my doubts. "I just think it would be best, if I talk to Akito first. Alone", he added.

Finally, our eyes met. "No way!", I said resolutely.

"What?" Hatori was surprised at the firmness and determination in my voice. I nodded.

"There is no way, I'm going to let you talk to him alone!", I repeated. "I want to be by your side!" I placed my hand on his. "After all, I am your future bride", I joked. Hatori had to laugh. "You're right", he agreed. He paused for a moment. "Alright, you can come with me", he said, seemingly against his better judgement. "But promise me to be careful and always stay with me and do what I tell you!" The urgency in his voice made me smile. "I promise!"

Hatori gently touched my cheek. "Everything is going to change …", he murmured thoughtfully. "Are you scared?", I asked softly. He shook his head. "No", he answered calmly. "Are you?" "Never." So it was decided … We would talk to Akito. And nothing would ever be the same again …

…

"Are you nervous?" Hatori and I were standing in front of the main building of the Soma complex. We were about to talk to Akito … "No", Hatori replied, seeming completely calm and serene. Unlike me.

"Good", I replied, now shaking. "Me neither." Hatori grinned. "Really?", he asked, already seeing through me. "Of course", I said, trying to hide how frightened I was. Hatori giggled.

"You are a terrible liar", he told me. "Thanks", I shot back ironically. "It's just …" I had a bad feeling. I couldn't explain it, it was there. Akito was like the dark mystery man of the Somas that everyone feared. What, if he really would get angry, when we told him we wanted to get married?

"Let's elope!", I said and grabbed Hatori's arm. "What?" He looked at me, surprised. "Just go, run off", I repeated. "We can have a small wedding, just the two of us. Our families don't have to be there!" What was I talking?! My nervousness made it impossible for me to control what I was saying!

Hatori smiled. "Come here …" He leaned his forehead against mine. "It's going to be fine", he promised me. "Trust me." "I trust you", I replied, feeling immediately better, knowing that I had Hatori by my side.

"Then let's do this and get it over with", Hatori said, gently pulling me with him. "I don't want us to hide from others!" "Thanks." I kissed him sweetly. "And you're right." "I am always right", Hatori replied firmly, making me laugh. He paused a moment.

"Just stay with me", he added. "And never look Akito directly in his eyes, only to be sure." I raised an eyebrow sceptically. "You are only making me more nervous than I already am, you know that?" Hatori chuckled. "Come on, crazy woman", he said, taking me by his hand.

"Promise me not to call me that in front of Akito", was the last thing I could utter, before we disappeared into the house.


	14. Chapter 14

But I could tell that Hatori was just as worried as I was. His hands were trembling and he had a strange flicker in his eyes. He was tense …

"Akito-san is awaiting you", the maid, who had led us to Akito's rooms, told us.

"Thank you", Hatori replied, as he turned to me. "Stay behind me", he said urgently. "And let me do the talking."

"Okay", I nodded, trying to be brave. Why was I feeling, as if something horrible was about to happen?!

Together, we went into the room. It was dark. The curtains were all closed, the only light in the room came from a little lamp next to a window and from the winter sun, shining through the curtains. It was so quiet you could have heard a pin drop. I shivered, when I noticed Akito. He sat in a dark corner at the other end of the room, next to a beautiful porcelain vase. Don't ask me why I suddenly turned my eyes to this vase. Maybe to distract me from the head of the Soma family.

"Akito", Hatori broke the silence, as he sat down before him. "Thank you for listening to us. Hikari and I have something very important to tell you."

I sat in respectful distance to Akito, holding my breath as I heard Hatori talk. Akito didn't say a word. His hair was hiding his face, so that I couldn't see his eyes. He just sat there, motionless …

"Akito", Hatori said, "Hikari and I wish to get married."

For a few seconds, nothing happened. Akito neither spoke nor moved. I was thinking that maybe he had fainted. When he turned to us …

I nearly screamed. Akito's eyes were burning with black hatred, when he looked at me. "What …?", he asked, the single word sounding like poison. "You … How did you …!"

"We love each other!", I replied softly, yet my voice strong and firm. I lowered my head. "I love Hatori", I said, a tear escaping my eyes. Akito looked at me, as if I had just said something terrible. "Love …", he hissed venomously. "How dare you!"

Hatori had stood up by now. "Akito, please, calm down", he said soothingly, trying to put his hands on Akito's shoulders. He spun around. "No!", Akito screamed furiously. He shook off Hatori's hands.

"You!", he screamed, pointing his finger at me accusingly. "You … filth … you are scum!" "Hey!" I got up. I was not someone to be insulted, even if it was by the great Akito Soma!

"We just want to get married", I tried to reason with him. "I will never accept this!", Akito shouted. He was coming towards me now.

"Akito, please", Hatori wanted to stop him. "Never!"

I stepped back, horrified. This was all wrong … Akito seemed beside himself with rage. Hatori was standing next to him, reaching for his arms in an attempt to get him to calm down.

"Akito, listen to me!", Hatori pleaded. He didn't … Akito was so angry, that he didn't even seem to hear him. "Get away from me!", he screamed.

What came next now, happened very quickly: Akito suddenly turned around to face Hatori. He shook off his hands. "Traitor!", he screeched, completely hysterical. And then I heard it … The breaking of a porcelain vase … Hatori let out a scream of pain …

Broken pieces … Akito in his rage had thrown the vase of its pedestal. At Hatori …

"Hatori!" I gasped in shock. All of a sudden, my whole body had grown numb. I heard my feet running to him. "Oh my god!" Hatori was kneeling on the floor, groaning painfully. He had covered his left eye with his hand.

"Hatori, what happened?!" I stammered. Hatori groaned. "Kari-chan", he said, his voice breaking from pain. "Please go, quick!"

"But … -", I stuttered. When I saw the blood.

Out of Hatori's left eye, blood was running down his face. It seemed to be everywhere … red and dark it was dripping on the floor. I felt, like someone had punched me into my stomach. "Tori … honey …" I grabbed his hand, not caring that Hatori's blood now dripped on the sleeve of my blouse. My entire body was shaking. "Your eye …" I cut my leg with a piece of the broken vase, but I didn't even notice it.

Akito was standing behind us. He finally seemed to have gone back to normal again. "Hatori?", he asked disbelievingly, slowly realising what he had done. "What is wrong?" He leaned forward. Hatori didn't answer. He was in pain, his hand now red from the blood running out of his eye. Akito saw it too. And this was, when he snapped.

"You did this!", he screamed at me. "It's your fault, if Hatori loses his sight it's your fault!" Words, like daggers through my heart … Suddenly it seemed to have gone very cold. I looked at Hatori, kneeling on the floor, bleeding. In the background was Akito's voice like shards of ice …

"Do you think you can lift the Soma curse?!", he shouted. "You are nothing! You are worthless to us!"

"But … -", I choked. "Hari …" Was it all a mistake? Was it really my fault? Everything? Would it had been better, if Hatori and I had never met?

Hatori finally lifted his head. I will never forget the look on his face … Fear, pain, guilt …

I barely noticed it, when Shigure suddenly appeared. He must have heard the noise. "Akito?", he asked shocked, as he watched him rampaging. "What is going on here?!" Then he saw Hatori.

"Hatori!", he gasped. Akito was still screeching at me. "It's your fault!", he shouted, **"It's all your fault!!!"**

Shigure ran over to him and grapped Akito at his shoulders, so that he couldn't attack Hatori or me in his anger. "Kari, take Hatori out of here!", he screamed at me. It was the first and last time that I ever saw the carefree, laid-back Shigure Soma so shocked and terrified. But his words seemed to have awaken me out of my numbness.

"Yes", I nodded, taking Hatori by his shoulders to get him to stand up. "Come on …" While Shigure was struggling with Akito, I helped Hatori out of the room, which was quite complicated, as I was a little woman and he a tall, grown-up man. And he was still bleeding. My blouse looked terrible, full of stains of Hatori's blood, but I couldn't have cared less. I heard Akito's angry screams through the door…

I finally managed to get Hatori into quiet and deserted room far away from Akito, where I could call an ambulance to take him to a hospital. "My fiancé … there was an accident … his eye …", was all I could say. Thankfully, they told me they'd be here in two minutes.

"They're coming", I told Hatori. "Good", he said thankfully. He looked at me, one hand still covering his left eye. "Kari, I –", he tried to say, but I interrupted him. "Just be quiet, please", I told him, my voice cracking with hidden tears. "I am not leaving you alone, not now. And I am going with you to the hospital." The siren of the ambulance made it impossible for Hatori to protest.

We were taken to the hospital. I watched Hatori, as a doctor brought him into a treatment room. I wasn't allowed to go with him. I was just standing there, looking at the door, Akito's voice ringing in my head like a mantra.

"You are worthless to us … It's your fault, it's all your fault!" What if he was right? I had failed Hatori …

After what seemed like an eternity, the doctor finally left the treatment room. He came over to me. "You are the fiancée?", he asked me, having seen me with Hatori before. I nodded. "How is Hatori?", I wanted to know, fear taking hold of me again. "He'll be fine, won't he?" The doctor sighed sympathetically.

"Mr. Soma is fine", he told me. "Except his left eye." He paused for a moment. "We were able to stop the bleeding", he explained. "We also managed to save the eye itself, but … the cut was too deep. There was nothing we could do."

"What do you mean?", I asked, feeling like I was going to be sick. "Are you saying that -" "Hatori Soma will be blind on his left eye", the doctor admitted. "He may be able to differentiate between different shades of black later on, but that's about it." He noticed my horrified face.

"If Hatori loses his sight, it's your fault!" …

"I'm sorry", the doctor interrupted my thoughts. He smiled, obviously in an attempt to comfort me. "Mr. Soma has asked for you", he told. "You can go to him now, if you like." I just nodded. "Thank you."

Slowly, I opened the door to the room. Hatori was sitting on an examination couch, a thick bandage around his eyes. He seemed so weak … So vulnerable … The pain in my heart at seeing him like this, left me speechless. I just wanted to break down and cry …

"Kari?" Hatori looked up, having heard me coming in. "I'm here", I managed to answer. A little smile appeared on Hatori's face. "I knew it", he said. "I recognised the way you walk." I sat down beside him.

"I've talked to the doctor", I said. "I thought so", Hatori replied. He grabbed my hand, feeling it beside his and squeezed it gently. "Kari, listen, I –"

"No!" I couldn't take it any longer. I collapsed into tears, my whole body shaking. Never in my life had I cried that hard …

"I'm sorry", I sobbed. "It is all my fault, your eye … I've broken my promise, I wasn't able to protect you, like I should have been … I failed you … forgive me"

"Stop it!" Hatori put up his hand to wipe away my tears. "Tell me, what becomes of snow when it melts?", he asked me. "What?" I didn't understand. "I don't know … water." "No!", Hatori replied, lovingly touching my cheek. "It becomes spring", he answered and smiled. "You are my spring, Kari. My whole life, I lived, feeling like frozen snow. Until you came along …"

He now cupped my face with his hands, so that I couldn't avoid looking at him. "I love you, Kari. You are the best thing that has ever happened to me, my light, my hope …", he said. "What happened today was not your fault. It was the curse, not you, okay? You had nothing to do with it!"

I sniffed. "You really think so?" Hatori kissed me reassuringly. "I know it", he replied. I leaned my head against his chest. "I love you, Hatori …" He patted my head.

I don't know, how long we sat there like that. I had closed my eyes, when the door opened and I could hear Shigure's voice.

"There you are", he said. "I was looking for you two. I thought you might need someone to drive you back home." "Thanks, Shigure", Hatori replied. I got up. Home? Home where Akito was? Akito, who had just made my fiancé blind in one eye?

"I'm thirsty", I said, avoiding their gaze. "I'm going to get us something to drink first." "Kari –", Hatori tried to stop me, but before he could grab me, I had run out of the room.

Outside, I leaned my forehaid against the wall. I was sweating, having trouble breathing.

"Hey." Shigure, standing suddenly behind me, made me turn. "Are you alright?" I didn't know whether to laugh at cry as an answer.

"Hatori, he … he will never see out of his left eye again …", I said instead, chlenching my fists.

"I know", Shigure said softly. "The doctor told me." He paused a second, reading my thoughts. "It was not your fault", I heard his voice. "No one, even Hatori and I, would have ever thought, that Akito would react that violently. There is no way, you could have seen this coming." I didn't look at him. "If it wouldn't have been for me, Hatori would have never gotten in a situation like this."

"You're right", Shigure replied, sarcasm in every tone. "He would be lonely and miserable, like he had been during the last twenty-six years, when you weren't with him. Do you honestly think, that would be so much better?" I suddenly felt very much like screaming.

"Why?", I blurted out. "Why does Akito do this, how can he –"

"Because he's scared", Shigure answered. "He is like a god for us, the members of the zodiac. We have to stay with him because of the curse. That is what Akito thinks at least. His greatest fear is, that we will abandon him. We are his family, his servants and we have to obey his every wish. When he heard that Hatori wanted to marry you, Akito thought, he was going to leave him. That is, why he snapped." I didn't know what to make of all this.

I thought about Rin and Haru. Was that, why they were keeping their relationship secret? Because they knew, how Akito would react, when he'd found out?

"And what happens now?", I asked Shigure. "Should we act like nothing has happened? Like it was just an accident that Hatori can not see out of his left eye anymore? Pretend the curse does not exist?" He smiled. "Stop getting so worked up about this", he told me. "Just be yourself, like before. Be there for Hatori." "Because I'm so great at that", I murmured. "Protecting the one you love is never easy", Shigure replied. We went silent. When a question entered my mind.

"By the way, Shigure, what did you do at the Soma house?", I wanted to know. "I thought you don't live there anymore." He nodded. "Hatori told me about your plans", he answered. "He already thought that Akito might get … upset and asked me to stay close, just in case."

"I see." I turned to the door, to say good-bye to Hatori. "Thank you, Shigure."

We went back inside, where the doctor was checking one last time, Hatori's eye. His bandage now was covering only his injured eye, so that he was able to see with the other one.

"You will get used to it", the doctor told him sympathetically. "If everything goes as planned, you will still be able to drive. You will barely notice that you can't really see out of your left eye." I flinched inwardly. Drive … I hadn't even thought about small things like that …

Shigure drove Hatori back to the Soma house. I hated the idea of him returning to Akito, but Shigure promised me to keep an eye on Hatori. Besides, he had not been the one that Akito had gotten so angry with: It was me. I had been the one, he had wanted to hurt, if Hatori hadn't stopped him. If he hadn't tried to save me … I chose not to think of that …

"I'll visit you first thing tomorrow morning", I told Hatori, as I kissed him good-bye. "Promise me to get some rest." "I will", Hatori nodded. "Don't worry."

I watched him, disappear into the car with the driver that had taken Shigure to the hospital. Never in my life had I felt that miserable. "Don't worry" … It was impossible for me …

When I finally had reached my apartment, the dams broke: I started crying, letting out all the tears and the pain I had hold back until now. I couldn't stop. I was glad, that nobody was there to see me, curled up on my couch, crying my heart out, my eyes puffy. Maybe Hatori and Shigure were right that it had not been my fault. But it felt like it. I would never forget Akito's words …


	15. Chapter 15

When I woke up the next day, still lying on the couch, I hoped for a few seconds that it all had been just a bad dream. That it wasn't real. Of course, it was. I still wore my blouse, full of blood stains. Hatori's blood … I threw it away, feeling sick by the painful memories.

After I had showered and dressed, I felt more like a human being again and drove to Hatori. I wanted to see him so badly and to make sure that Akito hadn't killed him in the meantime.

I was relieved to see, that everything was alright: Hatori was already waiting for me, smiling when he saw me entering his house. He still wore his bandage …

"How are you?", I asked him anxiously, as I kissed him. "Much better than yesterday", he assured me.

"And your eye?", I wanted to know. "It's okay", Hatori answered soothingly, lovingly brushing a strand of hair out of my face. "Really", he added, when he saw my worried face . "I'm getting an eye patch today."

For the first time since Akito had attacked Hatori, I had to smile. "This reminds me of the pirate stories, I used to read when I was a little girl", I said and joked: "Who would have known, that now I have a pirate as a fiancè!"

Hatori grinned. "Yeah, well, I thought an eye patch would be more convenient than a hook for a hand. Especially, because it is only temporary." I giggled. It almost felt like before … as if nothing had happened.

Something that sounded like a snore, made me turn. "What …?", I asked, puzzled. When I saw Momiji. The little boy was lying near the kotatsu, fast asleep.

Hatori chuckled. "May I introduce you to my new bodyguard?", he asked. "After he had haerd what happened, he came here, completely devastated and refused to go. Momiji said, he wanted to make sure that nothing like that would happen again. Obviously, he wanted to take care of me."

A wave of affection for the little rabbit of the zodiac rushed through me, as I looked at the sleeping boy. "Thank you, Momiji", I whispered.

I then noticed that Hatori's kitchen was full of tea. "Ayame", he explained. "He came storming in here, after Shigure had told him everything. It took my power of persuasion to convince him that I was fine and that he could go back home. But he left his special, home-made tea." I could imagine … Thanks, Ayame!

"Kari?" Momiji had woken up. "Hey", I smiled, as I bent down to him. "Thank you, for looking after my faincé", I said gratefully. In the background, Hatori rolled his eyes.

"I am nearly twenty-six, I don't think I need someone to watch out for me", he replied. "But you're hurt!", Momiji and I said at the same time.

"We will not let you out of our sight", I explained. Momiji nodded in agreement. Hatori sighed, but I saw his smile. "Thank you", he said and I could tell that he meant it.

So, in the end, Hatori, Momiji and I were sitting together around the kotatsu, drinking tea. Neither of us spoke. I was still thinking about what had happened yesterday …

Hatori had told me, it was the curse, that had led to his injured eye … The curse of the Soma family.

What kind of curse was it really? Hatori never told me, he didn't want me to know too much, so that I wouldn't get too involved. Well, now it was definitely too late for that!

An idea had entered my mind. I wanted to find out more about this curse. And maybe, just maybe to break it, so that Hatori and his family would be free … That Akito would have never have such power over them again … There must be a way to lift the curse, right?

So, when Hatori went into the kitchen, I decided to talk to Momiji. "I was so scared, when I heard about Hatori's eye!", he said. "I never thought that something like that would actually happen! I knew that Akito can get angry, but –" I patted him soothingly on the shoulders.

"May I ask you something?", I wanted to know. "Sure!" Momiji nodded. "I was thinking about the Soma curse lately", I told him. "And I was wondering … I mean, how did it happen, that your family actually got cursed? Why? And have you never thought about lifting the curse? There must be a way, after all."

Momiji paused a few seconds, before he answered. "Nobody really knows how our family was cursed", he explained. "But it must have been many years ago, long before my birth or Hari's. That is, why rarely anyone remembers anymore. Also, when it comes to breaking the curse."

I listened closely, as Momiji continued: "Some of us did try, to find a way to lift the curse, but none of them really were successful. Shigure assumes, that it must have gotten weaker during the years, like that Hari only transforms into a seahorse and not an actual dragon, but that is all he was able to find out."

"So you have no idea, how to break the curse?", I asked, knowing that I sounded disappointed. "No", Momiji replied apologetically.

"Except, maybe …" He fell silent. "Kazuma Soma", he said. I listened up.

"Who?", I asked. "He runs a dojo, outside of our family compound", Momiji told me. "He isn't a member of the zodiac, but he knows a lot about the curse. I think his grandfather had once been the cat. He now trains Kyo, Yuki and Haru. Kyo also lives with him, since the death of his mother. Kazuma is like a father for him." I nodded.

"And you think, Kazuma-san can help me?", I asked. "I'm not sure", Momiji admitted. "But he certainly knows more than me." I didn't reply. Kazuma Soma …

Hatori returned, ending our conversation. Neither Momiji nor I told him, what we had talked about. I didn't want him to worry. I had come to a decision: I would visit this Kazuma Soma and talk to him. Every curse can be broken somehow. And I was going to lift the Soma curse!

…

Already a few hours later, I was standing in front of Kazuma Soma's dojo. The master himself turned out to be a hansome, friendly-looking man in his late thirties.

"I am sorry for barging in like this", I told him. "But I really wanted to talk to you." He shook his head. "Don't worry", he said, smiling. "It is nice, meeting the famous Hikari Aino." He gestured me to come in.

"Kyo has told me much about you", he continued, as we sat down in his living room. "And of course, since yesterday …" He fell silent, when he noticed my hurt face. "I am sorry", he said. "This must have been terrible for you." "It was", I nodded, my voice suddenly shaking. Wanting to change the subject, I looked around.

"Where is Kyo?", I asked. Kazuma giggled. "Kagura has dragged him off on a date", he answered. I laughed. "Poor Kyo!" "Oh, he can defend himself", Kazuma said, obviously not too worried. He was looking at me.

"You came here, because you think I can tell you how to break the Soma curse", he realised. I couldn't deny it.

"Listen, I –", I began, as Kazuma interrupted me. "I did try to lift the curse", he confirmed. "For Kyo's sake. But I failed." He sighed. "I wanted to free Kyo, to spare him the sufferings of my grandfather, but it was useless in the end. I couldn't find a way to break the curse." He smiled sadly. "I am sorry, believe me, I really am. I wish I could be of more help to you."

"I know", I said friendly. Kazuma looked at me thoughtfully. "The only ones, who could really know how to break the curse are Akito, or his mother Ren", he said. "But even if they did, neither Akito nor Ren would ever tell you." "Of course …", I murmured. To keep Hatori and the others like slaves …

"Or Kureno", Kazuma added. "He is Akito's confidant. "But I doubt that he would be able to help you, even if he wanted to." "Kureno?", I repeated. The mysterious rooster of the zodiac, who at all times had to stay with Akito …

Kazuma must have guessed what I was thinking about. "If you want to hear my advice, you'd better just forget the curse", he told me seriously. "Enjoy your time with Hatori, be happy with him. Don't torture yourself with trying to lift the curse, when you don't know how."

I swallowed hard. "But it must be possible to –" "I am sure that the curse can be broken", Kazuma agreed. "But I don't know if we ourselves can do something about it. Not at this moment at least."

I looked down. "Hatori …", I stammered. "He nearly lost an eye just because of me, just because Akito –" I broke off. Kazuma smiled sympathetically. "You really love him, do you?", he asked softly. I nodded. "More than anything else." We fell silent for a few seconds.

Finally, it was time for me to go. "Thanks again for your time", I said friendly to Kazuma. He nodded. "In case I should find out more, I will let you know immediately", he promised me. "I appreciate that", I replied gratefully.

Kazuma walked me to the door. "Maybe you can do more than you think", he said to me suddenly, when I was about to leave. "True love after all, defeats everything. Or isn't that, what all the fairy tales say?" I chuckled. "Yes …"

It was evening, when I returned to Hatori. He was at home, Momiji still with him, as well as Shigure.

"I wanted to see the preparations for the new year's feast and thought I'd stop by", he said, sounding casual, but I saw right through: Shigure wanted to look after Hatori and I was thankful for that.

"Where have you been?", Hatori asked me, as we were sitting around the kotatsu, eating tangerines and cookies. "I was visiting a friend", I replied quickly and felt immedialy guilty for lying to him. But I knew that Hatori wouldn't be happy, if he'd find out that I had visited Kazuma because I intended to lift the Soma curse. He would only get upset and anxious. So, I decided to keep it a secret, at least for now.

I noticed Shigure's strange looks at my words. I could tell, that he knew exactly what I had been up to. Shigure might be a pervert, but he certainly was not stupid! He didn't mention anything though.

Shigure excused himself because he had "forgotten something at the main house" ("Nonsense", Hatori murmured. "He just wants to see Akito …"), leaving Hatori, Momiji and me alone.

We ate, talked and laughed, as if nothing had ever happened. If Hatori wouldn't have worn the eye patch, you would have never guessed that he had been attacked by Akito only yesterday. But it still was hard for me, looking at him, without feeling guilty. And although none of us said it out loud: I knew that our wedding plans had been put on hold. It hurt, I had to admit. Could Hatori and I ever be together without having to fear Akito?

"Is everything alright?", Hatori pulled my out of my thoughts. I nodded. "Yes. Yes, of course." He raised an eye brow suspiciously.

"Oh, the last cookie!" Momiji was looking longingly at the last chocolate cookie on the plate, ending our conversation. I had to laugh. "Just eat it", I said, patting him motherly on his head. "Really?" Momiji was beaming. "Thank you!" I giggled, as I watched him, eating happily his cookie.

"Shouldn't you be in bed by now?", Hatori asked him, sounding a bit like my father used to, when I had been a little girl. "But I wanted to talk to Kari some more", Momiji protested. Hatori sighed. "Ten minutes!", he then said to him. "Not more!" I giggled, as I listened to Momiji, trying to persuade Hatori to stay a bit longer.

"Oh, what a cute picture!" Shigure had returned. He was standing in the doorway, watching us. "What do you mean?", I asked him, surprised. He laughed. "You three seem like a cute little family", he explained. I blushed, as Hatori, Momiji and I looked at each other, taken aback.

Finally, Momiji went back home and also Shigure said good-bye. And of course, he had guessed, why I had been so absent-mindedly the whole evening.

"Don't worry about the curse", he whispered to me, so that Hatori could not hear him. "It will break eventually, I am sure. This is the first time, that all the members of the zodiac are alive together." He winked at me encouragingly. I remembered what he had said about Hatori, who transformed only into a seahorse … That it was a sign of the curse getting weaker … Could it be? I really hoped that Shigure was right.

After Momiji and Shigure had left, Hatori and I finally had some time for us. Since he had been injured, this was the first time that we were alone. That it was just us two …

"I am glad that you are still here with me, after all that has happened", Hatori said, as we were lying on his bed, my head resting on his chest.

"I am here with you, especially after what has happened", I corrected him. "I could never leave you alone and certainly not now." I smiled. "In good times and bad, in sickness and health, isn't it?" I could feel his hands on my back. "Right …"

I lifted my head, so that I could look into Hatori's face. Gently, I traced the lines of his eye patch with my fingers. His right eye was set on me. Hatori grabbed my hand. "Okinawa", he said. "What?", I replied, confused. He lovingly put a strand of my hair around his finger. "I was just thinking that Okinawa would be great for our honeymoon", he explained. "The sun, the beach, the sea …" I brought my face nearer to his. "It sounds perfect …"

We kissed. "It is not important, where I am", I thought, as I felt Hatori's lips on mine. "The only thing that matters, is that we are together …"

Hatori put his right hand to my cheek, deepening the kiss. I let my fingers run through his black hair. I loved him so much! Everything about him … Hatori seemed so fragile and perfect, that sometimes you were scared to touch him. I wanted to be with him ... I needed him. I couldn't let him go now. Hatori had become a part of me … Even Akito or the curse couldn't change that …

Finally, we had to part for air. Carefully, so that he wouldn't suddenly transform into a seahorse, Hatori pulled me closer to him.

"I am really glad, that I saw you that day, dancing in the snow, Kari-chan", he whispered, kissing my forehead. "Me too!", I replied, looking up. Hatori smiled. "Come here, my little snow princess …"

We were meant to be … I could feel it, when our lips met … I wanted to spend the rest of my life with this man …


	16. Chapter 16

"What would be the first thing you would do, if you could be freed of the curse?", I asked Hatori afterwards. "Hugging you of course", came the immediate answer. I giggled.

"That's cute!" I looked up, into his face.

I gently touched Hatri's eye patch. "Aren't you angry?", I asked softly. "What –" Hatori asked puzzled. "I mean your eye", I continued. "You said it was the curse, but … it was Akito, who –" "I don't blame Akito for what happened", he answered firmly. "Good." I didn't know what else to say to that.

"It is complicated", Hatori tried to explain. I nodded, waiting for him to go on.

"There are more secrets hidden in the Soma family, than you know", he continued. "You could say … us, transforming into animals, is one of our more insignificant mysteries."

He faced me, a look in his right eye, that I couldn't quite place. "Haven't you noticed something strange about Akito?", he asked me. I paused a second. "Well, except the fact that he would definitely need some anger management … not really … he looks very feminine for a man, but –" Hatori raised his right eye brow. And it was then, that I realised.

"Oh my …", I stammered. "You mean Akito … he … she …" "Is a woman", he finished my sentence. "It is a long story", he added, noticing my confused face.

And he told me. Everything. About the dream, Kureno, Shigure, Ayame and he had, the night before Akito's mother Ren found out that she was pregant … About Akito's father Akira … Ren, forcing her daughter to grow up as a boy, because she was jealous …

And I understood. "Akito is scared", I realised. "She's afraid of being lonely, nothing and worthless without you, the member of the zodiacs. A forgotten god …"

"And that is why I don't blame her for what happened", Hatori explained. "The curse also affects Akito's life, even if she doesn't transform into an animal."

I had to admit, I felt sorry for Akito. To be tortured and tormented by your own mother … She also had to suffer, just as the members of the zodiac.

Not that it would excuse, what she had done to Hatori. I was angry! I still felt guilty, and I knew that Hatori might be right with the curse, but that was no reason for Akito to hurt him and to treat the others like pawns in a game which she could move as she pleased!

"There must be a way to end this", I said. "To stop all this …" Hatori rested his head on my shoulders. "I wish this would be true …", he murmured.

Hatori didn't have to mention, that I wasn't allowed to tell anyone that I knew the great Soma secret. Besides, I had other things to worry about.

"What should we do now?", I asked Hatori the next day, when I had to leave for work. I hated, going without knowing what should become of us. Just a few days ago, I had been happy, looking forward to marrying my one true love … Now, everything had changed, just as Hatori had predicted. Although maybe in a different way than he had imagined …

"I could pick you up from work, if you like", Hatori answered in a matter-of-fact voice, although he must have known what I really had meant. Akito … How would she react, if she'd find out that we were still together?

"And what if –", I began, when Hatori silenced me, by putting a finger on my lips.

"Akito will not hurt me anymore", he assured me, sounding so confident, that I almost believed him. "Not now, when she knows the truth about us, that we are serious." Well, I highly doubted that!

I faced Hatori. "What, if she tells you to erase my memory?", I asked, my voice suddenly barely audible. "You once said, that you can not disobey Akito's orders, so what would you do, if she would tell you to leave me, to make me forget you?"

Hatori shook his head. "This will not happen!", he said firmly. "Is that a promise?" He didn't answer … Of course not …

I smiled sadly. "I should go." I turned, when Hatori grabbed me by my wrists, making me face him again. "Kari-chan!" He was looking at me, smiling encouragingly.

"We'll figure something out, okay?", he said softly. "Together." Affectionately, I squeezed his hand. "Together sounds great …"

…

Days went by without another word from Akito. Hatori had his eye patch removed. To my relief and surprise, his left eye seemed completely normal, as blue and beautiful as ever. Only when you were standing right in front of him, looking directly into his face, you could detect a slight opacity of the lens. As a result, Hatori let his hair grow, so that a strand fell into his face, covering his eye.

"I can't really see out of it anyway, so it doesn't matter", as he said. And I liked it. Hatori had wonderful soft hair, and with the strand falling into his face, he looked only more mysterious.

Life went on and I was starting to hope. Everyday I came to the Soma main house to be with Hatori. In fact I spent more time at his house than in my apartment. I worked at the bookstore and wrote stories in my spare free time. I never heard a word from Akito. I didn't know whether this was good or bad. But, as long as I could be with Hatori, I never questioned it.

Though, I knew that the other members of the zodiac, must have known about what had happened too. One day, I had a nice but strange encounter with Rin, who was suddenly standing in front of my apartment when I came home from work, obviously waiting for me.

"Hi!", I said friendly. "What a nice surprise, Isuzu-chan! Do you want to come in? I'll make us tea." She just nodded.

The whole evening, Rin barely said a word. I couldn't tell whether she was annoyed at being here with me, if she was just being shy, or if she wanted to talk to me but didn't know how to put in words what was bothering her.

Finally, I decided to just ask her. "Is everything alright, Rin?", I wanted to know and smiled sympathetically. "If there is something you want to talk about, then –" "No!", she interrupted me harshly. "There is absolutely nothing!" "Okay …" Isuzu Soma was a terrible liar …

She sipped her tea. "I saw Hatori", she suddenly said. "His eye looks good … As if nothing had happened …" The last part she more said to herself, than to me. I nodded. "Yes, he seems to have fully recovered again."

Rin looked up. "Don't you wish, you would have never told Akito about you?", she asked. "If he wouldn't know, that you were together, Hatori would still be able to see out of his left eye." The way she said this, it sounded very hard.

I swallowed. "Well, we had no choice", I replied quietly. "We wanted to get married, the only other option would have been to elope. And neither Hatori nor I wanted to do that." Rin faced her tea cup. "Hatori must have known how Akito would react", she said. "But he loves you so much that he was willing to put himself into danger …" She fell silent again. Her eyes were shimmering with tears. This was, when I realised.

"Is this about you and Hatsuharu?", I asked softly. Suddenly, Isuzu was standing, looking at me angrily. "How do you know that?!", she wanted to know, her voice sounding threatening. "I, I didn't!", I answered defensively. "It was just an assumption … call it female intuition."

Rin was shaking. "Don't you dare tell anyone about us!", she said furiously. I shook my head. "I would never do that", I promised her. "I don't gossip. This only concerns you two." "You're right!", Isuzu shot back. But my last words seemed to have soothed her.

She sat down again. "I love Haru", she said, her voice tiny. "I need him, so much that it scares me sometimes. No one knows about us, except maybe Shigure but he never said anything, so ... What if Akito finds out? What, if he hurts Haru? I don't want him to be blind on one eye!" She looked away from me, embarrassed by her unusual outburst of emotions. I took her hand.

"Don't worry", I replied, trying to comfort Rin. "Akito doesn't know that you two are together, this doesn't have to change, if you don't want to tell him. Maybe … maybe the curse will lift eventually and then you don't have to be afraid of him anymore."

Isuzu snorted disdainfully. "No one knows how to break the curse", she said, sounding desperate." "The curse could lift itself", I tried to cheer her up. She didn't answer.

Rin left. Although she hadn't spoken another word and acted as cool as ever towards me, I had the feeling, that we had become friends this evening. She even smiled a little, when she said good-bye.

But my encounter with the horse of the zodiac was nothing, compared to the person, I was about to meet …

…

I was still working in the bookstore, where I had asked Hatori out on our first date. And some things indeed never change: I still loved it! Books had something warm, good and hopeful in them. No matter how bad things were in my life, a good book always managed to cheer me up again.

And I enjoyed talking to customers. Every day, you got to meet all kind of different people. It's what I liked about working in a bookstore.

One day, a young man, probably in his late twenties, entered the shop. He was handsome: Light brown hair, dark blue eyes, tall and a slender body. I noticed other women in the store, staring at him curiously. But it weren't his good looks, that draw my attention to him.

He seemed completely lost. Like a child, that had gotten separated from its mother. I had the strange feeling that this was the first time that he had ever been to a bookstore. And he looked … lonely. He reminded me a bit of Hatori, the first time we had met. The same hounded, hurt expression in his face …

Suddenly our eyes met. The man smiled shily, as he walked over to me.

"Hello." I bowed politely. "Can I help you?" He nodded. "I think so …" He looked at me.

"Are you Hikari Aino?", he asked. "Yes", I answered, taken aback. "How did you know …?" The man sighed. I felt a strange tingle in my stomach, as I watched him standing there. There was only one way he could know who I am …

"You are Kureno Soma …", I said slowly. "The rooster …" "So Hatori did tell you", Kureno nodded. He shook my hand. "I would really like to talk to you", he said, voicing the reason for his visit to me. "Okay."

I told Mr. Shiraki that I was having lunch, not waiting for his response. I was too curious and confused. Kureno had to stay with Akito at all times. Why was he here now? What did he have to tell me?

"Won't you get in trouble with Akito, when she sees that you're not there?", I asked Kureno when we had left the bookstore. I didn't bother, acting like I wouldn't know Akito's secret. I had the feeling, that Kureno already expected me to know it. And he wouldn't tell anyone.

Kureno shook his head. "No, it's okay", he assured me. "This won't take long."

He turned to me. "Akito has told me that you think you can lift the Soma curse", he said. "No!", I replied defensively. "I've tried to, yes, but it was completely useless, I didn't find out anything, I –" I didn't get to finish my sentence, as Kureno suddenly pulled me ino a tight embrace.

"What …?!", I stuttered. Kureno had put his arms around me, hugging me. Time seemed to stand still for a moment. We just stood there, I could feel the warmth of Kureno. I closed my eyes, expecting to hear a small puff, like I had heard, when Hatori had transformed into a seahorse. But nothing happened …

I looked up into Kureno's face. "You … you didn't …", I stammered, completely dumbfounded. "You are still a human. Why?" A sad smile appeared on his face. "I don't transform into a rooster anymore", he told me. "Since I was about sixteen." My head was spinning.

"But how?", I wanted to know. Kureno shrugged his shoulders. "It just stopped", he said. "I don't know how, I don't why." He lowered his head. "The others don't know about this of course."

"That is why you're not allowed to leave Akito's side", I realised. "Because she's scared that they might leave her when they'd find out." Kureno nodded.

"Akito was terrified, when she heard that I wasn't cursed anymore", he said darkly. "I can still remember the little, frightened girl, looking at me through her tears … I couldn't bear to see her so unhappy, so I promised her to always stay with her."

I listened silently.

"Why are you telling me all this?", I asked softly. "With a temper like her's, Akito might kill you, if she knew that you are here with me!" Kureno chuckled shortly.

"Maybe", he replied. "I'm not sure why I'm here myself. I think I just thought that you should know this. You are Hatori's fiancée after all." He paused for a second.

"The other members of the zodiac distrust me", Kureno continued. "Some of them even hate me, because of my close relationship with Akito. Especially Shigure … Hatori was the only one, whose situation could be compared to mine, as the doctor for Akito …"

He turned to me. "So, I guess that is why I wanted to talk to you." I smiled. "Well, thanks", I said, feeling very emotional by all what I had just heard.

Kureno nodded. "You're welcome", he replied friendly. We fell silent. "If you'll excuse me", he said, straightening up. "I think I've said enough for one day." "Okay." I couldn't say more.

Kureno turned to go. He looked so vulnerable … "Wait!" Before I knew, what I was doing, I hugged him again. Kureno smiled. "Aino-san …" I buried my head in his coat.

"You are a good person", I stuttered. He shivered, as he slowly patted my head. "Hatori is really lucky to have someone like you in his life", he murmured.

I watched him leave. I could only hope, that one day, all the members of the zodiac would be freed of the curse, so that every one of them could find their happiness … Without the chains, put on them by Akito.

…

Days turned into weeks. Even now, after all that I had found out about the Soma family and their curse, sometimes it felt, like I wouldn't know anything about them at all. And there was Akito … The thought of her still put on hold any plans of marriage that Hatori and I were discussing.

"The only thing that matters is that we are together", he once said. That was true, and yet … With Akito and what she had done to Hatori, our relationship seemed so temporary … Like it could be over any day. Hatori and I may be in love, but Akito could still drive us apart. I knew that … every day. It was like I would have been on the Titanic, in constant danger of hitting an iceberg.

I only felt completely at ease, when I was alone with Hatori. The moments we shared together, were the happiest in my life … I felt safe and loved, like nothing could go wrong, as long as he stayed by my side.

Yet, the whole situation seemed to start to affect my health: I was tired all the time, I felt sick. In the mornings I had to drag myself to work, freezing even when I wore my warm winter coat.

"I just hope I haven't caught the flue!", I thought one evening, when I litterally fell into bed, feeling exhausted and strangely plump.

Of course, Hatori noticed my unusual behaviour.

"Are you sure you are alright, Kari-chan?", he asked me anxiously, after I had fallen asleep at the kotatsu, my body stretched out across the heated desk. I never fall asleep like that. Normally, the only times I am sleeping, are in bed, during the night. Hatori knew that.

"I'm fine", I assured him, stifling a yawn. "I think I might have caught a cold, that's all." Hatori clearly didn't believe me. "I would feel better, if you would let me have a look at you", he said urgently. "You look pale." I laughed it off.

"Don't be ridiculous", I replied, trying to sooth him. "I am healthy and well, my body just needs more sleep than usual. Nothing more, nothing less."

Hatori wasn't convinced, but in the end, he decided to drop the matter.

He was right though. After the smell of Hatori's green tea at breakfast the next morning made me throw up, even I had to admit, that something was wrong with me.

"I am sure it is nothing serious", I told Hatori, who had dragged me into bed and called the bookstore to say I was sick, after this highly unglamorous episode of my life.

"You can say whatever you want", Hatori replied, pulling out a needle of his lab coat, making me feel sick again. "You are now getting a check-up!"

But what he should find, I think even Hatori had not expected …

I must have fallen asleep again. When I woke up, I felt Hatori sitting beside me, lovingly stroking my hair. "Hey", he said, gently kissing me on the forehead. "Good afternoon, sleepyhead." "Hey", I said, closing my eyes again, as I enjoyed feeling his hands in my hair.

"Were you sitting here the entire time I was sleeping?", I asked. Hatori shook his head. "No", he answered softly. "I analysed your blood sample." Something in his voice made me look at him.

"What?", I asked, suddenly laughing nervously. Hatori's face seemed frozen. "Am I that ill?", I tried to joke. He didn't answer.

"Oh no!" I sat upright. "Seriously now, I am not terminally ill, am I?", I wanted to know, starting to freak out. Hatori didn't say a word.

"Come on, Hari, this is not very funny!" I was panicking.

Finally, Hatori coughed and said. "No, no you are completely healthy", he soothed me. "You were right."

I raised an eye brow, confused. "But then what is wrong with me?", I asked him. And why was he looking at me like that?!

Hatori swallowed hard. "Nothing is wrong with you", he assured me. "It's not that, it's …" He cleared his throat, facing me.

"Kari, you are pregnant."

…

At first, I thought I had misunderstood something. That I had misheard, what Hatori just told me. This couldn't be true … Me, pregnant! This had to be a bad joke!

"But … but …", I stammered, sounding like a moron. "Are, are you sure?!" Hatori nodded, seeming just as agitated, as I was.

"I double-checked your test results", he said. "There is no doubt …"

"Oh my …"

For a few seconds we didn't say anything.

"But how …?", I asked, closing my eyes again. "I mean, I know how it happens, but when …? We never really …"

Hatori blushed. "You are now three weeks pregnant", he replied. In my confused brain I tried to do the math.

"So that means that it happened on the night we talked about Okinawa", I realised. Hatori nodded. "Yes …"

The next seconds passed in total silence. We were just sitting there, next to each other, trying to digest the news, while the realisation slowly began to sink in.

I was pregnant … A baby, a little, living creature, inside of me, small and perfect …

Oh my god, I was going to be a mommy!

In my whole life, I had never thought about being a mother, not for a single moment. Getting married was already a huge step for me, and this only concerned two people! But now …

Instinctively, I put a hand to my stomach.

"A good thing is, that … that our baby is not very likely to be affected by the curse", I heard Hatori beside me. "Except of course, if it transforms into a real dragon, but …" He

broke off.

"What do we do now?" My voice was trembling. I had no idea if I fullfilled the requirements of a good mother, I didn't know anything about bottles, diapers or anything else connected to babies. I wasn't even sure if I liked them!

Not to mention Akito, who would go ballistic, if she knew.

"Well …" Hatori threw a quick glance at me. "You are now part of the Soma family, even Akito can not change this", he said, and I could detect a little smile in his face. I had to laugh unintentionally. "I like that thought."

Thankfully, I leaned my head on his shoulders.

"You know what?", I said, now very calm, after the first panic attack had passed.

"What?", Hatori replied, putting a strand of my hair out of my face.

"Despite Akito, the curse, or the fact that I haven't got the slightest idea how to behave as a mother, I am … happy."

That was the truth. I was here, with Hatori, right where I wanted to be. Our baby was a love child. That was a fact, that nothing could change.

I looked at Hatori. "Are you happy?", I asked, suddenly anxious, he might find the idea of becoming a daddy not that wonderful.

He just smiled, squeezing my hand lovingly. "I am very happy." "Good …"

I shivered suddenly. "Only the thought of those side-effects during a pregnancy makes me want to freak out." Hatori laughed.

"Don't worry", he said, putting his arm around me, protecting me. "We'll manage." "Yeah …"

Hatori crawled beside me into bed. I could feel that he was nervous, just as I was. In nine months we would be parents … We would have to speak to Akito (and to my parents …). Our lifes would change, even more, than it did when we first met.

"What do you think, will I be a good mother?", I asked, after I had snuggled up against Hatori. He kissed me on the head.

"You'll be a great mother", he answered, sounding so certain, that I immediately felt better. "I saw you with Kisa, Hiro and Momiji. They love you!"

I giggled. "Well, it's hard not to love Kisa and Momiji. And Hiro … he's tough, but so cute. He and Kisa are so kawaii together!"

Hatori nudged me affectionately. "See what I mean?" He turned to me, putting his fingers under my chin, so that he could lift my head.

"Our child will be safe and loved", he said gently. "Our son or daughter will not grow up, isolated by the limitations of our family curse, like I had been. We will be good parents, giving our child all the affection he or she needs."

I smiled and touched him gently on the nose.

"How do you know that?", I teased him. Hatori chuckled and kissed me passionately.

"Because of you", he replied. "You know me better than anyone else, Kari. I've never dreamed of meeting someone like you. Of being here with you …"

He smiled. "So, if you have teached me anything, then that nothing is impossible."

I sighed happily, as I leaned my head against his shoulders. "You just have to believe", I mumbled sleepily, as I closed my eyes, slowly drifting of into sleep. Hatori smelled so good …

"Right", was the last thing I heard him mutter, before I fell asleep.

When you have found the one, you want to spend forever with, all you have to do, is to stick together …

I was just wondering what life had in store for us next.


	17. Chapter 17

The next day however, we had to face reality.

"What are we going to tell Akito?", I asked Hatori, when we were having breakfast.

"We" are not going to tell her anything", he replied calmly. "I will speak with her. Alone." The tone in his voice said clearly, that he would not let me come with him.

"You go and talk to your parents."

"What if Akito gets angry?", I asked Hatori, ignoring the last comment. "She was already furious just because we wanted to get married. If she now finds out, that I am –"

"Ecaxtly", Hatori cut me off. "I don't want you to be near her, when she hears that you are pregnant. Akito won't hurt me."

I sighed in desperation. Why did Akito have this power over the members of the zodiac? Why couldn't we just live our lives? Be free?

"Even if she manages to stay calm and listen to you, this won't solve the problem", I said. "Akito hates me, but if we want to live together and have a family, she has to like me. Or at least, to tolerate me and not feeling the urge to kill me, everytime we meet."

I looked at Hatori. "You know, that I am right." He waited for a few seconds, until he answered. "Yes, I know."

I got up. "Than it is clear, what we have to do." I would have to speak with her. Not Hatori or anyone else. Me …

Hatori sighed, as he realised, that I wasn't going to change my mind. "But I will come with you!", he said the tone in his voice allowing no protest.

I nodded. "Okay."

But first, I wanted to tell my parents. I had kept my realtionship with Hatori a secret far too long. It was time for them to know. Especially now, that they were about to become grandparents.

Their reaction was as I had expected:

"A baby!", my mother clapped her hands together in happy disbelief. "So you are finally getting married!" She stopped for a second. "But we don't even know the father!", she said reproachfully. "Who is he?"

My father of course was far more interested in knowing, whether he would get a grandson or a granddaughter.

"It is way too early to see if it is a boy or a girl", I told him. "And at the moment, I don't really know if we are getting married", I said to my mother. Depending on Akito and her reaction …

"What does that mean?!", my mother asked, clearly shocked. "Of course you'll marry him! It would be a disgrace, for you and the baby that would be born a bastard!"

I rolled my eyes. "Mom, this aren't the Middle Ages anymore!"

Then, I made the mistake of telling my parents that the head of Hatori's family didn't really … like me.

"What?!", my father now replied, sounding insulted. "Does he think you are not good enough?! Doesn't these people know who you are?!"

In the end, I promised my parents to introduce them to Hatori as soon as possible. I left, hoping they wouldn't storm into the Soma main house while I wasn't around. Luckily, they only knew Hatori's first name. I hadn't mentioned that he was a Soma. I felt guilty, for not telling them, but as long, as Akito still saw me as a thread to her and her family, I thought this was the best.

As I returned to Hatori, I thought about, what I should say to her. I remembered what Hatori, Shigure and Kureno had told me about Akito. Her greatest fear was, to lose the members of the zodiac. To be alone. Maybe, if I could show her, that I didn't intend to steal Hatori away from her or the Somas, but on the contrary, to become a part of their family, she would understand? If I would take away her fear, of me, robbing her of her family, then she had no reason to despise me anymore. Right?

But one thing I was certain, as I protectively put a hand to my stomach. I would never let Akito hurt Hatori or our child. Never.

…

"So, you are really sure about this?" Hatori looked at me thoughtfully, as we were standing in front of the Soma main house, where Akito lived. He must have noticed how nervous I was. But I had made my decision. I nodded. "Yes." Hatori grabbed my hand.

"Than let's go."

Akito's room was still as dark, as it had been the last time, I was there. The head of the Somas was sitting on the floor, sitting on his hand was a little bird. It reminded me strangely of a fairy tale.

She didn't look at me once, as Hatori and I sat down. This time, it was him, sitting behind me. I had to do the talking today …

"Hello Akito." I lowered my head politely. Akito moved slightly.

"So you are still here", she said, slowly turning to me. "You're even stupider than I thought. And rude. I assumed you would have the decency to go after what had happened."

I knew that she meant Hatori's eye with that. I managed to stay quiet, putting a hand soothingly on Hatori's, as he wanted to stand up.

"I am sorry that you think of me like that, Akito-san", I replied calmly. "But there is one thing you should know."

I knew that I had to be very careful now. If Akito would get upset, it would be almost impossible to soothe her again.

"I understand that I am not a member of the Soma family", I began. "I don't share this close bond that connects you all. The curse or your life is none of my business."

I noticed how Akito stayed silent. Was this a good sign? Getting more brave, I looked up.

"But I would really like to become a part of the Somas", I continued. "To get to know you, to stay with Hatori." Akito didn't respond.

"And I am pregnant."

The words were out before I could stop myself. I had enough! Akito was about five years younger than me, she certainly had no right to try and keep me from Hatori! The only person who could do that was Hatori by telling me so. And no one else!

I felt Hatori moving behind me, ready to protect me if necessary.

Akito turned. I straightened up, preparing to defend myself. I couldn't see her face, it was covered by her hair, but I could tell that she was furious.

I was almost expecting Akito to attack me, when suddenly I saw something moving in the shadows behind her.

Kureno. The whole time, he had been sitting quietly in the dark behind Akito. But now he came forward, putting an arm on her shoulder. "Akito please …", he said softly. She struggled to get free. "Don't!", she hissed. "This little, insolent –"

"Wait!", I interrupted her. I bowed my head.

"Akito-san, neither do I want to steal Hatori away, nor do I assume that I would know anything about the curse or the Somas. I just want to be together with Hatori … I could move in with him. Hatori would still be here. He would be your doctor, as usual. Nothing would change, you wouldn't even know that I'm here …"

Hatori got up behind me. "Kari belongs to me", he said. "I love her, the others all like her. She already is part of our family, my family. So, if you really want us to be happy, you finally accept her."

Deathly silence … I think Akito was too shocked by Hatori's speech to say something.

Kureno leaned forward, still holding a friendly but tight grip on her.

"It's okay", he said softly to Akito. "Shh …"

He lifted his head and nodded in our direction. "Go", he formed silently with his mouth. I felt Hatori, taking my arm. Looking at Akito, we went outside.

…

"She didn't kill us. I can't believe it, Akito didn't kill us", I stammered. "I thought she was furious. Did you see the look in her eyes?"

"I know", Hatori nodded.

We were back at Hatori's house, sitting in his living room.

Hatori sighed. "There are now only two options, how this could go on", he said, half-joking. "Either Akito decides to give us her blessing, or she throws us both out."

"Yes …"

I looked quickly at Hatori. "Are you okay?", I asked. "Much has happened today … it is your family after all."

He smiled. "I'm fine", he assured me. "There is no turning back now and this is good. It was time. To be honest, I think we should have done this much sooner." He kissed me softly on the lips.

"Now we can only wait", I said thoughtfully.

And the waiting was grueling.

I could imagine that Kureno was trying his best to sooth Akito. Thankfully, he had been there and safed us from her wrath. But what was to become of us now? Slightly nervous, we waited for Akito's decision, snuggled together at the kotatsu.

If only I could stay with Hatori …

It was evening, when Kureno appeared at Hatori's house.

"Akito sent me", he told us. "What did she say?", Hatori and I asked him in unison.

Kureno chuckled shortly, before he faced me.

"You and Hatori will get married", he said. "You will move in with him. You and your child will live, according to the rules of our family. You may see your parents or friends, outside the Soma main house whenever you want. They are not allowed to come in here. Any mention of the curse or other details about our family are strictly prohibited."

I listened closely. "Does that mean … Did Akito give us her blessing?", I asked sceptically.

Kureno nodded, smiling. "If you fulfill these conditions set up by her."

I looked at Hatori. "It is your choice …", he whispered.

"Be careful, Hikari-san", Kureno said quietly. "Once you've made your decision, you can't turn back."

I didn't have to think twice. I wanted to be with Hatori. He was my love, my family.

"Tell Akito I accept her conditions", I said to Kureno.

…

So it was decided: I was to live with Hatori and become a Soma. Even if it was "just" through marriage.

And the Somas certainly did not waste any time: Already the next day, we started to move my clothes, books, CDs and other belongings to Hatori's house. Yuki and Kyo were helping, carrying the heavy things, which at first seemed a good idea, but …

"Watch it, ratboy!", Kyo snapped angrily, as he and Yuki were taking a particularly heavy box, filled with my favourite books, to the living room.

"What are you talking about?", Yuki replied condescendingly. "I'm not the clumsy one here. Stupid cat!"

"Hey!", I intervened at this point, before Kyo could try to kill Yuki. "No murders in front of the books!"

Yuki immediately lowered his head. "I am sorry, Hikari-san", he said politely.

Kyo grumbled. "Why do we have to help her anyway?", he mumbled.

"Because she is not allowed to carry heavy things, stupid cat!", Yuki replied contemptuously.

"Ah, right", Kyo muttered self-consciously. "And stop calling me stupid cat, ratboy!", he screamed furiously.

I sighed, as the two were bickering back and forth.

"Well, they are certainly getting along better, than they used to", Hatsuharu, who was standing next to me, said, shaking his head. I giggled.

In the meantime, Ayame was sewing maternity clothes for me like mad.

"This is very sweet of you, but you really don't have to do this!", I told him.

"Ah, ah!", Ayame said reproachfully, wagging his finger at me. "Just because you are pregnant, this doesn't mean that you have to stop dressing elegant", he explained to me, sounding like a teacher. A train at full speed would have been easier to stop than Ayame, so I just smiled and said thanks.

And of course, Ayame also created my wedding dress, together with Mine. Yes, Hatori and I got married.

Three weeks, after we had talked to Akito.

It was a beautiful wedding, just like I always had dreamed of (well, I didn't dream that I would be pregnant, but … anyway) …

It was a traditional, Japanese wedding. And every single person was there … the members of the zodiac … even Akito had come, as the head of the Soma family, Kureno was standing next to him (very much to Shigure's dismay, I might add …). Mine was there, together with Ayame. Kazuma had also been invited (by Kyo, I think he wanted him to help Kyo to keep Kagura away from him). Ritsu had taken his mother to the wedding.

What was very important for me was, that also my parents and Mitsuru were there. I had told Akito that I would only marry Hatori like she wanted me to, if I was allowed to invite my family. After throwing a tantrum, Akito said yes.

But none of this really mattered in the end. I was going to marry Hatori. He was to be my husband, the father of my child. I would be his wife. That was the only thing, I could think of, when I was standing next to him … Hatori …

…

People always say that marriage changes everything. Well, to be honest, it didn't. Not for Hatori or me at least. We had already practically lived together, when Akito still hated me, sharing our lifes. To me, it had felt like being a married couple.

The only thing that was different now, was that I had access to the whole Soma complex. That was, how I got to meet Ren, Akito's mother. I saw her, creeping around the main house. She was beautiful … With long, raven –black hair and dark eyes, just like her daughter. Ren didn't see me though.

I didn't dare, talk to her. I remembered, what Hatori had told me about her … that she was weak and emotionally disturbed, in a constant fight with Akito … No, I really didn't want to meet Ren Soma.

As the months went by, I stopped working at the bookstore. I spent now much time at home, writing. Whenever he wasn't busy, with treating Akito, Hatori got to read my stories or poems.

"You are a great writer, Kari", he said to me once. "An artist. Truly, you are." That he said that, meant everything to me …

…

But there was already another surprise waiting for us: Hatori and I were ging to be the parents not just of one child, but of two … twins. That was, what my doctor said to me, with a huge smile on his face.

When I told Hatori, Shigure was also there. He had stopped by for a visit. At first, Hatori couldn't respond to the news, because his cousin was having a fit of laughter and made it impossible for him to say anything.

"Haha, haha …", Shigure was rolling on the floor laughing. Hatori looked at him, clearly disgusted.

"You are ten!", he said scathingly.

"I am sorry", Shigure managed to reply. "It's just …" He pointed at me, still laughing.

"You are going to be so fat!"

He then stopped laughing, because Hatori made moves to strangle him.

Not that Shigure wasn't right. With every passing month I started to feel more and more like a stranded whale.

And then …

On the twenty-fourth of November, one month before christmas, on the day of the first snow that year, Hatori and I held our babies in our arms for the very first time.

"They are perfect", I whispered, as I was marveling at how tiny and perfect those little fingers of our daughter were. "A beautiful baby girl and baby boy."

"Our own miracle", Hatori said, kissing me. He was holding our son.

Never in my life would I have thought I could feel like this … It was perfect, complete … I had never known, what life or love really was … Until now.

I was looking our little daughter, fast asleep in my arms. "She has your hair and your eyes", Hatori noticed. I gently touched the hair of our tiny son, safe in the arms of his father. "But he takes more after you."

Our eyes met and we both smiled. This was, what Hatori and I had been waiting for so long … A family, love … Now we had finally reached the place, where we had to be.

…

Of course, also the others wanted to see the new Somas. Already the next day, every member of the zodiac (except Kureno) had come to greet the new family members.

"They are so tiny", Kyo said, starring at our children completely fascinated, like he had never seen a baby before. The normally so rude Hiro was suddenly very quiet.

"It is a good thing you two are good-looking", Ayame commented. "Your son and daughter are going to be very beautiful, I can see that."

"Thanks, Aya", Hatori replied, his voice full of sarcasm.

"How are you going to name them?", Momiji asked us curiously. Hatori and I shortly looked at each other.

"Well …"

"To be honest, we didn't really think about names before", I admitted. So much had happened during the last months that we completely forgot to give our children names.

Hatori was looking at our son. "How about Hikaru for him?", he asked me.

"How romantic", Kagura sighed immediately. "Like his mother!"

I giggled. "Hikaru … Yes, I like that name!"

"And what about the girl?", Momiji wanted to know. I chuckled.

"Oh, I already have a good name for her", I replied, facing him. "Usagi."

Promptly, a huge grin appeared on Momiji's face. "Rabbit!", he said thrilled, clapping his hands together.

"Usagi and Hikaru …", Hatori said quietly, smiling. "Sounds perfect!"

…

On the next day, Kureno visited me, on behalf of Akito to see the new family members. He laughed quietly, when Usagi grabbed one of his fingers.

"They don't seem to be affected by the curse", he noticed thoughtfully, as I held Hikaru in my arms.

"No", I nodded. "But this might be because all members of the zodiac are now alive, so …"

I knew what Kureno had wanted to say. It might have been possible that Hikaru or Usagi could transform into a rooster. But at least for now this didn't seem to be the case.

Kureno left.

"You and Hatori are lucky", he said. "Usagi and Hikaru are wonderful babies."

I watched him go. Kureno seemed so lonely … so sad. I thought of Hatori. He and his family was still under the curse … Akito still ruled their life … that of my children …

"I just hope that Shigure is right and the curse will lift itself soon!", I thought, as I gently let my fingers run through Hikaru's hair.

Yes, if I had one wish free for Hatori and Usagi and Hikaru, it would be that the Soma curse finally would break! So that they could be free …

…

The next year was one of the most stressful and one of the happiest times in my life. I wrote, Hatori still was the doctor for the Soma family and together we cared for Hikaru and Usagi. It was unbelievable exhausting, it was tiresome and it was great! I wouldn't change a thing.

I enjoyed my time with Hatori and the kids so much, that it almost seemed like a dream. To good to be true … When I was with Hatori, Usagi and Hikaru, I felt more at home than I had ever with my parents. Curse or not.

And then, two years after I had met Hatori, another outsider stumbled into the life of the Soma clan:

Toru Honda, a classmate of Yuki (and later also of Kyo) started to live at Shigure's house. We became friends immediately, almost like sisters really. As Shigure liked to say, we were very much alike.

Maybe it was Toru's complete lack of selfishness, her friendliness and unconditional acceptance of the Soma's and their curse, but the minute I saw her, together with Yuki and Kyo, I knew that my wish had come true:

Toru was the one to break the Soma curse.

"I think that the curse started to get weaker and weaker, the minute I met you", Hatori once said to me. "Now with Toru Honda, the curse finally lifted."

We don't know how, we don't know why. But after years of pain, after Akito had let out her anger at Rin and Kisa and tried to use Toru for getting Yuki and Kyo back, the Soma's were free.

It was evening. I had just put Usagi and Hikaru to bed. I watched them sleeping, when I suddenly felt Hatori behind me, putting his arms around me.

"It's over", he whispered into my ear. "I could feel it, when it happened."

I turned around, for the first time in Hatori's arms.

"So, how is it?", I asked him softly.

Hatori pulled me closer.

"As if I would have been reborn."

Later that night, when I was lying next to Hatori, with his arms protectively around me, I thought about the Somas.

Rin, who finally had got her Haru back, their love freed from the curse.

Kyo, who had met with Toru someone, who would never leave his side, no matter what.

Yuki, who had found in Machi Kuragi the soulmate he had been searching for.

Kureno, who was happy with Uo-chan.

Akito, who finally had started to live as a woman, together with Shigure.

The Soma's had found their happiness. And maybe that was the reason, why the curse had gone. So, the fairy tales had been right all along …

"Hikaru and Usagi don't know anything about the curse", I said to Hatori.

"We could tell them", he replied.

"Yes ..."

I snuggled closer to Hatori. Yes, one day, I would tell our children … Our story. A story about a family … a story about a curse … a story about love. The story of the Soma family.

It all started once upon a December …


End file.
